Non-League: Barnet FC

We explore non-league football on the fringe of suburban North London in this long-read guest post from local groundhopper, Alexander Sarychkin.

I can’t quite place what it is that draws me to football grounds nestled in small pockets of land behind suburban terraced houses. Certainly, it is the conflation of the domestic with the grandiose; in our heads, quiet suburbia should remain exactly that – peaceful, calm and sleepy.

There seems on paper to be no room for crowds of people to chant their way through a Saturday afternoon. It doesn’t seem right that your weekend routine of popping out to grab a pint of milk could be interrupted by a throng of people knocking back cans of lager on the way to a game of football. Perhaps the draw comes from a sense of jealousy that my own childhood home was some distance from the nearest football ground and as such stadiums took on this sort of mythological status where they just weren’t immediately accessible.

It wasn’t until I started visiting The Hive to watch Barnet that I realised there is a certain magic in football grounds that hide behind identikit houses all around the country. Approaching from either Canons Park station or from Camrose Avenue, you find yourself admiring the sheer size of the spot the Bees call home. To think that daily thousands of commuters must pass by on the roads either side and not even realise that they are passing a brand-new stadium is frankly astonishing. It’s also a testament to the structure and design of the place itself – going to the football should be an escape and anything that can be done to fuel this feeling of separation should be commended.

Growing up in Edgware, I wasn’t blessed with immediately local football sides. Edgware Town plied their trade at the Old White Lion ground, but sadly this was knocked down to make way for a Premier Inn. My Manchester City supporting uncle passed on his admiration for the club to me at a young age, but for a young boy Maine Road was a little too far for regular trips. Even [Barnet’s former ground] Underhill was a little far and as such I had to make do, like many young people, with satisfying my football madness with regular stints in front of the telly.

When Barnet eventually moved to The Hive, just outside of Edgware, I suddenly felt the allure. Here was a well-established side playing games just around ten minutes from where I cut my own teeth. The idea of sides worming their way through Edgware streets to arrive at a football game was exceptionally funny to me – Edgware is your pretty typical London suburb no-man’s land. The most exciting thing about it is the rather depressing Broadwalk Shopping Centre. I started to attend semi-regularly, whenever a free Saturday presented itself and I quickly picked up on all manner of feelings, both positive and negative, that Barnet fans hold towards the Bees.

Barnet are a club suffering a slight identity crisis. Anyone with a passing interest in football will know that their move from the historic Underhill to the new ground was appallingly managed. Diehard fans who had been supporting the club for generations were entirely marginalised and many refused to ever set foot in the new home. Very little was done to keep the club inside the borough that provides the team name. Technically the new stadium isn’t even in the borough of Barnet, instead falling into the adjacent borough of Harrow. This kind of physical discrepancy is a symbol of more than just bad planning – for many it’s a damning indictment of the esteem lower league football is held in by the ‘powers that be’. The writer can’t help but feel that a club named after a borough should probably play in the borough it is named after, but then, what do I know?

The Experience at Barnet FC

At the time of writing, Barnet are playing in the Vanarama National League [5^th tier of English football], currently sitting precariously near the bottom of the table (although they do have a solid number of games in hand which should ensure their safety). The current stint outside of the league is one of many over the years and Barnet are an exemplary yo-yo club.

A typical afternoon at The Hive is usually rather tame. The writer senses that a lot of the ‘Bee Army’ that built such a reputation for making Underhill a difficult away day have since turned their attention to smaller non-league sides in the area, namely Hadley FC, Wingate and Finchley FC, and Edgware Town FC. As such there is little in the way of riotous support and most league games tend to be desperately below capacity. A special mention must be made of the gang of teenage boys who beat drums and sing songs relentlessly on the Bee Terrace behind the goal. This bunch do add a sense of chaos to the otherwise placid serenity, but theirs is the only vocal noise you’re likely to hear on match day.

It is worth stating that this was entirely thrown out the window on the night of Barnet’s Fourth Round tie against Brentford in late January. A rare sell-out affair led to an evening of pure magic with Barnet forcing a famous replay, capped off with a beautiful free-kick from Dan Sparkes that ended up winning the BBC’s goal of the round competition. Having been to rather a few Barnet games over the last four years, this match stands out above all the others by a country mile. Flairs set off before kick-off gave it an almost European atmosphere and the songs sung throughout the night clearly acted in the home side’s favour.

It was a taste of what games could be like at Barnet week in week out if more was down to encourage higher attendance. Clearly, the board need to reach out to those who turned their back on the club after the move but from my own discussions with those who left that ship has long sailed. Barnet are a club with a rich history playing in an exceptional stadium for their size. In theory, they shouldn’t be struggling in the Conference and yet time and time again they do.

Ticket prices are somewhat steep – around £22 to sit down and a tenner in the terraces. The writer advises the latter to get a good experience – though be advised, you cannot source a lager inside the stadium if you choose to stand. Alcohol must be consumed prior to entry in one of the bars outside. Only tea in the terraces (though they do make a proper lovely brew).

Barnet are currently playing rather attractive football under Darren Currie. Currie is the nephew of Sheffield United legend Tony Currie and he got the job after the departure of non-league veteran John Still. He’s pushed the side to keep the ball on the ground, something the writer notes had been clearly missing under any previous manager over the last few seasons. Shaq Coulhirst is a real player to keep your eye on. He seems to be scoring goals for fun at the moment and the fear for many Barnet fans is that he’ll be snapped up once the transfer window opens.

Overall, a trip to Barnet is often an enjoyable way to spend a Saturday afternoon. The facilities are marvellous given the league in which the club play. The fans are a morbid bunch who see the funny side in all the tomfoolery that tends to surround the team. Recently, a night celebrating the opening of a refurbished bar that was set to feature the appearance of ex-manager Martin Allen and a screening of a movie about the old ground Underhill had to be cancelled the night before owing to poor ticket sales.

This is the kind of thing that fans have had to put up with for a long time. The club seem to show a lot of promise but never quite reach the heights you expect them to. That was why the cup run was so widely celebrated – there was a sense of things going Barnet’s way for the first time in a long time.

How to get to The Hive, Barnet FC

Most people tend to take the Jubilee Line to Canons Park. Out the station, take a left, walk about 30 seconds and then chuck a right through the gate. This gives you an impressive view of the ground in totality and if you time it right you can catch a Jubilee Line train flying past behind the Western stand. Perfect photo if you’re into that sort of thing.

Personally, the writer likes to take the tube to Edgware and then head down to the Three Wishes pub for a swift beverage before the game. He then heads for a fifteen or so minute walk along Whitchurch Lane which takes him to the same entrance as the one stated above. It’s a slightly different way to get to the ground but at least you exit the station in the borough the club is named after.