Barnet manager Dean Brennan has confirmed that midfielder Billy Clifford has departed the club in an interview with Ian Abrahams.
The 32-year-old had been listed as someone who had ‘talks ongoing’ when the Bees published their retained list at the end of the 2024/25 campaign despite having initially signed a two-year contract in North London.
Upon announcing his departure, Brennan described the midfielder as “someone who we are very fond of.”
Clifford’s Time At Barnet
The former Chelsea midfielder, who was named in a matchday squad in the Champions League, joined Barnet in the summer of 2024 after impressing with Ebbsfleet United.
He was a player who had worked under Brennan previously, scoring six times in 31 games for Wealdstone in the 2019/20 season as they earned promotion from the National League South.
Clifford started the Bees’ first three games of the season but suffered an injury at the end of August which saw him ruled out of action for just over two months.
During this time, Barnet signed Bailey Hobson on loan from Chesterfield and Mark Shelton began to find his feet in a Bees shirt.
This saw the Slough-born man slide down the pecking order and he never reclaimed in place in the side. There were even a couple of occasions where Zak Brunt, who is predominantly an attacking midfielder, played in a deeper role instead of Clifford.
The diminutive midfielder made 21 league appearances overall, producing a couple of important performances which helped the Bees to win their fourth National League title.
Barnet’s Recruitment So Far
Although Clifford was not the Bees’ first-choice in midfield, some wondered whether Clifford could have played a handy role as a squad player this season given the lack of depth Barnet had in this position.
However, there have been a couple of new arrivals at The Hive this summer which would have pushed him further down the ladder.
Firstly, Emmanuel Osadebe, who played 40 times for Forest Green Rovers last season and has previously been a regular starter in League Two with Walsall, joined the club at the start of July.
Earlier this week, the Bees signed Scott High, who has played 60 games in the Championship despite being just 24 years of age.
These additions, combined with the signings of centre-backs Adam Senior and Ollie Kensdale, which mean Nik Tavares could potentially be used in midfield more often, gave Brennan’s side more than enough depth in midfield.
Writer’s View
This move is probably the best for both parties.
Clifford may not have even been registered in the Bees’ 21-man squad given that they have four other central midfielders under contract.
At 32 years of age, he still has a good amount of time in professional football left. His former side Ebbsfleet have made a number of ambitious moves in the transfer market, signing Gillingham legend Max Ehmer as well as fellow title-winning Bee Ben Coker, and they could be an excellent potential destination for the Englishman.
As for Barnet, it is good to get Clifford’s wages off of the books when he was seemingly not part of Brennan’s plans and it means that he can leave the club on a high.
