Dean Brennan admitted on a recent episode of Barnet fan podcast Beespod that Barnet are still on the hunt for another striker, will this still be the case after frontman Nicke Kabamba has scored twice in the first two games of the season?
Nicke Kabamba – The First Choice
Nicke Kabamba signed for the Bees in June 2021 and he has been a key player ever since. The number 9 netted 19 goals in all competitions last season and he nutmegged Bromley goalkeeper Grant Smith to take his tally to two in as many games this season. The former Kilmarnock man has four key attributes which I think make him a complete striker at this level.
The first, and perhaps most obvious, attribute is his height and aerial prowess. The 6’3 striker has the natural height and also the jumping reach to be able to win aerial duels against traditionally big and powerful National League centre backs and this allows him to score thumping headers as he did against Hartlepool last week.
Kabamba’s second key attribute is his work rate. Dean Brennan’s system relies on there being pressure on the ball at all times and Kabamba, as the striker, is responsible for leading and triggering the press. His fitness and work rate allow him to do this for long periods when Barnet find themselves without the ball and his pressures force the opposition into playing more direct balls which the likes of Jerome Okimo love to sweep up.
Despite being tall and strong, Kabamba also has the pace to be able to stretch defences and run in behind. This is another attribute which makes him key to Dean Brennan’s system as the Irishman wants his players to break the lines and find holes in the opposition’s defence as they are retreating.
The final key attribute that Kabamba possesses, and has shown particularly throughout his time at Barnet, is his eye for goal. Both he and Dean Brennan have previously referenced how he had been used as a winger or simply as a target man whose job was to hold up play rather than looking to score at previous clubs, but at Barnet he has played through the middle as the main man and he has thrived. Kabamba is one of those players with an uncanny ability to always be in the right place when a chance emerges and yesterday’s goal against Bromley was a good example of that.
Many argue that Kabamba struggled towards the end of the season due to a combination of burning out and the arrival of Harry Smith meaning that he had to play a different role. The stats would back this up as he scored just 2 goals between the 8th of February and the end of the season in May. Therefore, some may argue that another striker is needed so that Kabamba can be rested and rotated more. But, there is a key difference between this season and the last. A second striker in Callum Stead is already at the club.
Callum Stead – A More Than Able Back-up?
Last year, Kabamba was the sole frontman contracted to the club until his sending off at Boreham Wood on Boxing Day which prompted the signing of David Moyo. This season, Barnet were able to recruit Callum Stead before the start of preseason and he can provide competition to Kabamba in training whilst also giving Brennan the option to rest the number 9.
Stead has a good eye for goal and he scored 13 times in the National League North last season whilst also winning the Managers, Players and Supporters’ Player of the Season awards. Although Stead’s game-time has been limited so far, it is clear to see that he also possesses good attributes which should add value to the squad.
His work rate is immense and perhaps even better than that of Kabamba. Dean Brennan said in his recent appearance on Beespod that he would ‘chase a packet of crisps in the wind’ and this tenacity will be vital if Brennan decides to give Kabamba a rest when Barnet are ahead with only a few minutes to go as you can’t sit deep and absorb pressure for too long in the National League as you will get punished.
But, Stead isn’t the tallest and this season is his first playing full-time football and his first in the National League. If Barnet are truly looking to challenge for the title, you may argue that having another striker at the club is necessary.
Overall Judgement
Stead seems to be a more adequate back-up for Kabamba in most areas, but, if I was looking to bring in another striker, I would look for a target man who has proven he can score goals in the National League. There is very little point in signing players like David Moyo who, although he ran his socks off for the team, provided very little threat in the box, as can be seen by his record of 2 goals in 18 games. But, Dean Brennan may simultaneously be fearful of bringing in another player like Harry Smith who inadvertently stifled Kabamba even though he was excellent in the air and scored a lot of goals in a short space of time.
To conclude, Nicke Kabamba is clearly an excellent striker who has more than enough ability to score a lot of goals at this level and trying to get another player to provide more competition in the forward areas will be a tough task. For me, Callum Stead deserves a chance to prove himself and his presence from the very start of the season might help to stop Kabamba from burning out as he did last year. During this period, opportunities may arise both in the loan market and in terms of transfers and free agents. I wouldn’t rush to get another striker in.
