Bees gearing up for new season

Nick Sandamas on Barnet FC’s plan to go one better next time

A goal area with a stand behind it at The Hive, home of Barnet FC — The Bees in pre-season action against Watford – (Credit – Nick Sandamas)

With the season just over a week away, Dean Brennan’s squad is shaping up nicely.

The Bees played a number of pre-season friendlies against some higher ranked sides and are now looking forward to the new season with high hopes of going one better than last time.

As so often happens in the close season, several players have left, while nine new signings have come through The Hive door.

Zac Williams, Charlie Lakin, Brandon Gormley, Craig Farquar, Isiah Noel-Williams, Will Wright, Tom Knowles and keeper Taye Ashby-Hammond have all come to add to the squad – and what we hope will be a sustained tilt at promotion.

Another addition was striker Jack Maskell from Darlington who comes to North London with a good goalscoring pedigree having scored 23 goals in 77 games in his two full seasons for the National League North Quakers. This will be his first taste of full time football.

The pre-season schedule began with an 8-3 win in a behind closed doors friendly against Solihull Moors.

There followed away trips to Hitchin Town and Hemel Hempstead Town which both ended in narrow 2-1 victories. Bright Siaw and a trialist scored the goals against Hitchin at Top Field, while against the Tudors it was Maskell and a late winner from a trialist to take home the Spencer McCall Invitational trophy.

A good 2-2 draw was then picked up against Championship side Watford with Kabongo Tshimanga and Charlie Lakin on the scoresheet.

Jack Wilshire’s Luton Town side were next up and another positive performance ensued, with another 2-2 draw the result. Nmandi Ofoborh and Tshimanga were on the scoresheet.

As we went to press the Bees still had a couple of friendlies to negotiate before the action gets underway including a trip to face League One Cambridge United and Callum Stead who swapped The Hive for the Abbey Stadium this summer.

Bogey team Salford City is the League Two season opener at The Hive with further games in August against Shrewsbury Town, Cheltenham Town and Arsenal U21s in the opening EFL Trophy group game.

Is this going to be a season to remember for the Bees for the right reasons?

Let’s see over the next nine months. Can Barnet replicate what Bromley did in their second season and end the season with promotion in the bag?

Let the games begin. Come on you Bees!

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