Cheltenham Town Goalkeeper Owen Evans has joined National League title contenders Barnet on loan until the end of the season.
Evans had started the season as Cheltenham’s first-choice goalkeeper, but he fell out of favour during October and has not made a league appearance since then.
Another Goalkeeping Change
The move will remind many Barnet fans of last season when Tottenham Hotspur youngster Josh Keeley, now thriving in League One with Leyton Orient, was signed on loan to replace fan-favourite Laurie Walker. Many still question how beneficial the mid-season switch was, especially given that Walker had a short spell back in the team whilst Keeley was on international duty.
Both Keeley and Walker left the club in the summer and Nick Hayes, who spent most of last season on loan at Solihull Moors, was signed as the new first-choice goalkeeper.
Hayes has shown glimpses of real quality but the former Ipswich Town man has kept just one clean sheet in his last six games which has led to murmurings of discontent recently.
Manager Dean Brennan, who has developed a reputation for being ruthless in the transfer market, said the following upon Evans’ arrival:
“Owen is a quality goalkeeper.
“He gives us more depth to our squad.
“Evans also has plenty of EFL experience, he will add a different profile to what we already have at the club.”
Evans’ Career Path
Evans came through the youth ranks at Wigan Athletic but only made five appearances for the Latics.
His first foray into the English Football League was with Macclesfield Town where he made 27 appearances in the first half of the 2019/20 season before being sent to Cheltenham for the second half of the campaign.
Upon his departure from Wigan after spending a year as the backup goalkeeper, Evans re-signed for Cheltenham and made 27 appearances in League One for the Robins in the 2021/22 season.
The former Welsh youth international joined Walsall in June 2022 and went on to make 70 appearances in League Two across two seasons before he re-joined the Robins this summer.
Writer’s View
Signing a new goalkeeper mid-way through the season comes as a surprise but it is a clear reflection of what Dean Brennan thinks of his current squad. The Bees have picked up just three points from their last three games and, based on the performances, that tally should at least be doubled.
The goalkeeping department is not one that many fans would have deemed a top priority. But, Dean Brennan has repeatedly shown that no player is irreplaceable and a goalkeeper with the experience of Evans certainly has the ability to improve the team if he can find his best form.
