Barnet youngsters Jermaine Francis and Finley Wilkinson have joined fellow National League side Braintree Town on loan until the end of January, as per the club’s official website.
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Francis spent time at Coggeshall Town as a teenager but he rose to prominence in the 2022/23 season when he scored 18 times in 43 games for Hashtag United to help them to promotion.
The winger got the second most league goals and league assists for the Tags as he won the Fans’ Player of the Year Award.
This led to Francis going on trial with the Bees during the summer of 2023.
Although a move to the National League did not transpire, the London-born winger had a very impressive campaign in the National League South with Chelmsford City.
Once again, Francis was an ever-present in a successful team as the Clarets finished in second place in the sixth tier.
Nine goals in 42 league appearances were enough to finally earn the Grenada international a move to Barnet earlier this summer. He has since made four substitute appearances for the Bees.
Finley Wilkinson spent time in the youth academy of Ipswich Town before moving to Histon and then Hitchin Town.
The young attacker was a revelation for the Canaries last season as he scored 16 goals for the seventh-tier side.
This prompted Barnet to sign the 22-year-old on a two-year contract this summer with manager Dean Brennan emphasising his powerful running ability and natural eye for goal.
Like Francis, Wilkinson has made just four substitute appearances for Barnet so far, although these have amounted to nearly four times as many minutes as Francis has received.
Despite signing two high-profile strikers this summer, John Akinde and Inih Effiong, Braintree’s struggles in front of goal have been well-documented.
The Iron have scored just five times in their opening nine league games, which makes them the joint-lowest scorers in the league, and they recently suffered a succession of three nil-nil draws.
Barnet, on the other hand, have an embarrassment of attacking riches and are currently the top scorers in the fifth division.
This is despite the Bees having to play without star striker Nicke Kabamba since the second game of the season.
Writer’s View
The loan moves for Francis and Wilkinson should be very helpful for all parties.
It gives the Bees’ young attackers a chance to get regular minutes at a high level which should put them in a good position to break into the first-team come February. They will be looking to emulate teammate Callum Stead who has gone from strength to strength since breaking into Barnet’s starting eleven in the second half of last season.
As for Angelo Harrop’s side, the young Barnet duo will add some much-needed pace and directness to the attack. They should be able to rotate well alongside promising attacker Kyrell Lisbie which would mean that Braintree no longer have to deploy Effiong as a left-winger.
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