We continue our look at this season’s opponents as we profile the fourth side to visit Brunton Park in the new campaign - Barnet.
Nickname: The Bees
Club Colours: Orange & Black
Who are they?
The origins of Barnet FC can be traced back to 1888, but they only changed their name to its cur-rent guise after the First World War. They spent their early years in non-league and were founding members of the Conference, then known as the Alliance Premier League, in 1979/80.
Promotion to the Football League came in 1991 under the stewardship of Barry Fry with promotion to the third tier following two years later. They were relegated after one season, however, and fell back into the Conference in May 2001.
Barnet bounced back into the Football League alongside the Cumbrians in 2004, but were relegated again nine years later. But their stay in the Conference was short-lived as they returned to League Two in 2015.
Did You Know?
+ The club’s nickname of ‘The Bees’ is rumoured to have come from apiaries being located near to the club’s previous Underhill ground in the 20th century.
+ The crossed swords and red and white roses in the club’s badge represent the Battle of Barnet in 1471, which was a key battle in the War of the Roses.
+ Barnet have won the Conference a record three times, having won the league in 1990/91, 2004/05 and 2014/15.
How did they get on last season?
It was something of a turbulent campaign for Barnet, who saw a fair deal of managerial turnover disrupt their season. Martin Allen’s departure in December was followed by a short spell with Kevin Nugent in charge, with the ex-Leyton Orient manager failing to see a spark in results. Ultimately, a 15th place finish saw the Bees finish 11 points comfortably in mid table and clear of the drop zone.
Who’s in charge?
After spending two spells in caretaker charge at The Hive last season, Rossi Eames was appointed as permanent manager in May of this year. He had previously led the side after the departures of Allen and Nugent, and now has the chance to take over the reins on a full-time basis in what is his first managerial job.
How has their summer transfer business looked?
Barnet’s transfer business has been low key so far, with no new signings having entered the door at The Hive. The Bees have, however, pinned down key players Michael Nelson and Jamal Campbell-Rice to new contracts.
They’ve Played For Both
A popular figure during his brief time at United, Magno Vieira made 35 appearances during a loan spell at the Cumbrians. He netted ten times for the Blues during our season in the Conference, be-fore signing permanently for Barnet in 2006. He made 21 appearances at Underhill, grabbing three goals.
Memorable Meeting - Carlisle 4-1 Barnet (6 February 2005)
In an FA Trophy tie played away from the flooded Brunton Park, the Blues raced into a three-goal lead in the opening 16 minutes courtesy of a Craig Farrell brace and a Magno Vieira strike. Nicky Bailey pulled one back for Barnet after half an hour, but Vieira added a second just before half-time to round off a comfortable victory for United.
When Did We Last Meet?
Barnet made the trip to Brunton Park on 28 January 2017 as the two sides played out a cagey draw. Charlie Wyke handed United the lead with Simon Akinola then seeing red for the visitors. But they drew level late on as John Akinde slotted home from the spot to ensure a point was heading back to the Hive.
Highlights of the 1-0 away win last August are here:
Highlights of the 1-1 home draw last August are here:
When Do We Meet Next?
The Bees visit Brunton Park on 16 September while the Blues will make the visit to the Hive on 6 January.