Five Things We Have Learned From Barnet’s Bank Holiday Double Header

Barnet went into the Bank Holiday top of the National League table and, despite having a mixed weekend, they came out of it in second place, just one point behind leaders Solihull Moors.

A 1-0 loss away at Dagenham and Redbridge courtesy of a late Nicke Kabamba own goal meant that the Bees have failed to beat the Daggers in their last six attempts, a run stretching back to October 2020. But, the mood at The Hive was lifted after a Kabamba hattrick secured the Bees a 3-2 victory over National League newcomers Ebbsfleet United.

Here are five key things we can take from the two games.

1. The Bees too often match the performance level of their opponents rather than playing their own game

One thing which has frustrated many Barnet fans over the last year or so is the ability for their team to go toe-to-toe with the best teams in the division, but then offer nothing against teams in the bottom part of the table.

This could be seen last season as the Bees restricted both Notts County and Wrexham to draws at The Hive London in matches that they had the chances to win, yet they lost twice to Dorking, who finished in 16th place and conceded the second-most goals in the league.

A similar habit seems to be developing this season. Dean Brennan’s side have put in three of their poorest performances against three sides who are in the bottom half of the league and have largely struggled at the start of the season (Eastleigh, Dagenham and Redbridge and Bromley). Yet, they played very well against Hartlepool and Ebbsfleet, (even though the scoreline may suggest the games were closer than they were) who are in and around the playoff positions now that the table is finally starting to take shape.

However, I think this issue is easily rectifiable if the team learn to play with more dominance and authority, which they have already started to do this season. Furthermore, the addition of highly technical players like Anthony Hartigan and Zak Brunt will aid the Bees in breaking down the low blocks which teams in the bottom part of the table will look to play against Barnet; thus making it easier to score goals and open up the game.

2. Dean Brennan’s side tend to struggle in the final minutes of a game

Barnet have conceded eight goals so far this season, and four of them have come after the 80th minute. This has particularly hampered them on the road as a 97th-minute goal at Eastleigh and an 86th-minute own goal at Dagenham and Redbridge cost the Bees four points.

It’s a pattern that I wasn’t expecting to find going into the new season. Last season, it was often the other way around as Barnet scored late goals on several occasions. You could look at my original stat and say that Barnet didn’t prepare properly during preseason and that the players aren’t fit enough. But the team have been so outstanding in the first 79 minutes of matches that I find it hard to believe that it is the case.

Again, I think it is more of a confidence and concentration issue, as well as a slight lack of adaptation to the new rules. You can no longer take your foot off the gas and soak up pressure from the 80th minute onwards if you are winning because there will likely be another 7 minutes of added time and Barnet’s game management needs to get better in that aspect.

People were generally happy with the way that Dean Brennan’s side dealt with Woking at the end of their encounter a week or so ago, but I again felt that we struggled to retain possession well enough towards the end. I think that yesterday’s final 15 minutes against Ebbsfleet was a better example of game management. The likes of Hartigan and Harry Pritchard weren’t afraid to drop deep and demand the ball so that the Bees could stay in possession and this helped them to restrict a much more dangerous Ebbsfleet side to just one good chance from a set-piece towards the end.

3. Perhaps a third striker is needed

By all accounts, Nicke Kabamba struggled against Dagenham and Redbridge on Saturday. He was physically outcompeted by the Daggers centre-backs and he didn’t hold up the ball well enough or provide much of a threat in the box. It was the sort of match that, if he had been fit, Callum Stead would have proved useful in simply because he would have given the home side’s defence something different to think about.

But, Stead was unfortunately sick and the lack of a third striker in the squad meant that Kabamba had to solider on and try his best to get something from the Daggers backline. It fuelled the argument of many people who believe Dean Brennan’s squad needs a third striker to be complete as there could have been something for the taking late on against a side who were low on confidence going into the game.

Having heard Brennan’s post-match comments after the Eastleigh game, I firmly believe that another striker will be brought in, but it may be a case of first waiting for the EFL transfer window to close and then seeing who is available.

4. But, the new man would have to work his socks off to usurp Nicke Kabamba

That being said, a new striker won’t walk straight into the team and would likely start as a backup to Kabamba, perhaps whilst Stead goes out on loan to get regular minutes. I have previously mentioned that I think Kabamba is the complete National League striker and I will stick by that comment, especially after his incredible display against Ebbsfleet.

Like last season, there will be days where Kabamba is unable to affect the game, whether that’s due to poor service and poor quality long balls to him, if the opposition centre-backs are having a good day or if Kabamba himself has an off-day. Previously, it has been up to his teammates in midfield especially to support him and chip in with a few goals. Harry Pritchard went above and beyond with that last season as he netted 16 times in all competitions. It would be in these scenarios that any potential new striker would be pivotal as he may be able to come on and score a goal which gets the Bees a victory or a draw.

However, the new striker would largely find it hard to get game-time as Kabamba is more often than not an outstanding performer and one of the first names on the team-sheet. He would have to heavily impress in the limited minutes he would likely get to force Kabamba out of the team or potentially into another position like Harry Smith did last year which would be a very hard task.

5. Barnet’s strength-in-depth is already proving useful

Barnet were able to make three changes heading into the Ebbsfleet game and Dean Brennan brought in three players who were integral to the team’s success last season and had a big impact on the day.

Ben Wynter put in a solid performance in his first start of the season as he registered an assist and looked reasonably solid defensively. Jerome Okimo looked as calm and composed as ever against a dangerous strike force, though he may have been able to do better for Ebbsfleet’s first goal. Dale Gorman put in a good captain’s performance as he was able to control the midfield well alongside Hartigan and win a number of 50-50 challenges and second balls in tight areas.

The squad has clearly taken a massive step compared to this time last season when you look at the calibre of the players Brennan has been able to rotate in and out of the team. This time last season, Jordan Thomas was the backup right-back and, although he is a promising young player, he hasn’t got the ability and experience of someone like Ben Wynter who is a former England C international. Similarly, Brennan has been able to send the likes of Moussa Diarra and Dominic Revan out on loan this season due to the superior depth he has available to him when both of them were regularly involved with the first-team at this point last season.

Hopefully, the ability to rotate like this will put the Bees in a better position at the end of the season and there will be fewer players suffering from burning out. The increased competition for places will also push the players to perform at the very best of their ability week-in-week-out or they could be at risk of losing their spot as a regular starter.

Conclusion

A bank holiday that had the potential to go very badly was turned around by Barnet and they showed a lot of character to do so. Dean Brennan rotated the players well and it is clear he has a much larger core that he can trust, especially when compared to this point last season.

There are a couple of small things that need to be worked on. But, with a fairly light schedule over the next couple of weeks, there is certainly time to do so and Barnet seem relatively well-equipped to stay near the top of the league.

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