Barnet Football Club is a professional football club based in

Edgware Edgware () is a suburban town in northern Greater London, mostly in the London Borough of Barnet but with small parts falling in the London Borough of Harrow and in the London Borough of Brent. Edgware is centred north-northwest of Charing Cros ...

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nor ...

. The team compete in the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in

Chipping Barnet Chipping Barnet or High Barnet is a suburban market town in north London, forming part of the London Borough of Barnet, England. It is a suburban development built around a 12th-century settlement, and is located north-northwest of Chari ...

, then part of Hertfordshire, in 1888. They played their home matches at

Underhill Stadium Underhill Stadium was a stadium in Chipping Barnet, London, that was the home of Barnet Football Club between 1907 and 2013. The club's under-19 team played fixtures there; it was also the training ground of the London Broncos rugby league club, ...

from 1907 until 2013, when they moved to the new Hive Stadium in Edgware, which is named based on the club's nickname of "the Bees". The women's team, the

London Bees London Bees is an English women's football club affiliated with Barnet F.C. They play in the FA Women's National League South. The club has been in existence under several names since 1975, originally being called District Line Ladies F.C.. The ...

, compete in the

FA Women's National League The FA Women's National League, formerly WFA National League and FA Women's Premier League (WPL), is a group of six football divisions run by the English Football Association. Founded in 1991 by the Women's Football Association, the League includ ...

. Barnet became founder members of the North London League in 1892 and had success at a local level before ceasing to exist in 1902. Two other clubs, Barnet Avenue and Alston Works, merged and entered the

Athenian League The Athenian League was an English amateur football league for clubs in and around London. The league was originally to be called the Corinthian League,Athenian Football League minutes 1912-1921 (National Football Museum, Preston). but this nam ...

as Barnet and Alston in 1912, becoming simply Barnet F.C. seven years later. Barnet spent 53 years in the Athenian League, winning seven league titles and one FA Amateur Cup title, before turning semi-professional as they entered the Southern League in 1965. Crowned Division One champions in 1965–66, they went on to win the Southern League Cup in 1972 and the Division One South title in 1976–77. Barnet became founder members of the

Alliance Premier League The National League (named Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons) is an association football league in England consisting of three divisions, the National League, National League North, and National League South. It was called the ...

in 1979 and initially struggled, though finished as runners-up after the league was renamed the Conference in 1986–87. Barnet were first promoted to the Football League in 1991 after manager

Barry Fry Barry Francis Fry (born 7 April 1945) is an English former football player and manager. A winger, Fry was an apprentice at Manchester United in his youth, and had brief spells with Bolton Wanderers, Luton Town and Leyton Orient, before he reti ...

led them to the Conference title in 1990–91. Promoted out of the Third Division in 1992–93, they spent just one season in the third tier before being relegated. They were relegated back to the Conference in 2001, but returned to the Football League four years later after winning the 2004–05 Conference National title. They then spent the next eight seasons in

League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...

before being relegated to the Conference once again in 2013. In 2015, they returned to the Football League for a third time, after winning the 2014–15 Conference Premier title. However, they survived for just three seasons in League Two before suffering another relegation in 2018.

Club history

''For a complete list of seasons, see List of Barnet F.C. seasons''

Early years (1888–1901)

Barnet FC were formed in 1888, having formerly been known as New Barnet FC (1885–88) and Woodville FC (1882–85). The club's origins are from ex-scholars of Cowley College and Lyonsdown Collegiate School. They were known as "The Hillmen" and played in

New Barnet New Barnet is a neighbourhood on the north east side of the London Borough of Barnet. It is a largely residential North London suburb located east of Chipping Barnet, west of Cockfosters, south of the village of Monken Hadley and north of O ...

before moving to Ravenscroft Park in Queens Road in 1889. Initially they played friendly games before becoming inaugural members of the North London League in 1892–93. They went on to have success in the North Middlesex League Division II ( 1894–95 runners-up), Division I ( 1895–96 runners-up) and the Premier Division ( 1896–97 champions). Promoted to the London League Division II, Barnet became champions in 1897–98 and spent the following seasons in London League Division I before ceasing to exist in the 1901–02 season.

Barnet Avenue and Barnet Alston (1901–1919)

Two local clubs, Barnet Avenue FC (formed 1890) and Alston Works AFC (formed 1901) continued to attract support. Barnet Avenue renamed themselves Barnet FC in 1904 and as staunch believers in the amateur game they shunned the London Football Association in favour of the

Amateur Football Association The Amateur Football Alliance is a county football association in England. It is unusual among county FAs in not serving a particular geographical area. It was founded in 1906 as the Amateur Football Defence Council, was briefly known as the Ama ...

, which they joined in 1907 after winning the Chiswick League. Avenue played their home games initially at Hadley Green before moving to Queens Road. Alston Works AFC, later Barnet Alston FC, were formed in 1901, and became champions of the London League in 1906–07. Formed from workers at Alston Works, a dental manufacturers, they were known as "The Dentals". Their club strip of amber and black is the basis of the current Barnet team strip. In 1907 they moved to the club's current ground at Underhill, Barnet Lane. Their first match was a 1–0 win over

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...

on 14 September 1907. After merging with the Avenue team in 1912 they spearheaded the new

as Barnet and Alston FC. After the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in 1919 they became the third instance of Barnet FC. This team continues today.

Athenian League years (1912–1965)

For over 50 years Barnet FC competed in the

. They were inaugural members in 1912–13 they were league champions no fewer than seven times between 1919 and 1965 before turning fully professional in 1965. During the 1920s Barnet consolidated their amateur status in the

under team secretary Tom Goss. He arranged for junior players from

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...

to play for the club including Taffy O'Callaghan, Willie Evans and Bill Whatley, all of whom eventually became internationals, between them gaining 17 Welsh caps. The 1930–31 season saw Barnet gain their first

Championship to be repeated again the following season. Included in the team at that time were George Hughes and Fred Garrett, full backs; Reg Wright (England), centre-half; and Arthur Morris, Jack Richardson and a Barnet and England legend Lester Finch in the forward line. In the two seasons after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Barnet won the FA Amateur Cup (beating Bishop Auckland 3–2), the

Championship twice, and the London Senior Cup. The side included five internationals in Ted Bunker, George Wheeler, Dennis Kelleher, Ron Phipps and Lester Finch. In the 1958–59 season, their young team coached by George Wheeler, reached the FA Amateur Cup final for the third time, but were beaten 3–2 by Crook Town. In October 1946, the first live televised football match was broadcast by the BBC from Underhill. Twenty minutes of the game against

Wealdstone Wealdstone () is a district located in the centre of the London Borough of Harrow, England. It is located just north of Harrow town centre and is south of Harrow Weald, west of Belmont and Kenton, and east of Headstone. The area accommodates ...

were televised in the first half and thirty five minutes of the second half before it became too dark. In 1947, Barnet FC played Sing Tao Sports Club, winners of the Hong Kong Football League at Underhill. They were the first Chinese club to ever play in the United Kingdom. Barnet won 5–3.

Non-League years (1965–1991)

Barnet reached the third round proper of the FA Cup for the first time on 9 January 1965, meeting the previous season's runner-up Preston North End at Underhill. 2–0 down inside the first 10 minutes, the second half saw Barnet, urged on by 10,500 spectators, level the score at 2–2, before a last minute own goal sent them out. In 1965–66 Barnet turned semi-professional. Before the season commenced, manager Dexter Adams made two astute signings. He persuaded Les Eason, then 20 years of age, to join from Finchley and then acquired amateur international Barry King from Hitchin, who became the first player to sign professional forms for the club. The first game finished in Barnet's favour, a 10–1 win over Hinckley Athletic. Les Eason went on to score 31 goals in his first season as the club became champions of the Southern League Division I. Promoted to the Southern League Premier for 1966–67 the club ended up 5th but had reached the Southern League Cup final only to lose to

Guildford City Guildford City Football Club (formerly Guildford United and AFC Guildford) is a football club based in Guildford, Surrey, England. The club was established in 1921, folded in 1974 and was reformed in 1996. Guildford City play in the . Histo ...

over two legs. In 1969–70 the FA Trophy was introduced and Barnet reached the semi-final before losing to

Macclesfield Town Macclesfield Town Football Club was an English professional football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, that was wound-up after a High Court ruling on 16 September 2020. Initially known as Macclesfield F.C., the club was formed in 1874 ...

0–1 at Stoke City's

Victoria Ground The Victoria Ground was the home ground of Stoke City from 1878 until 1997, when the club relocated to the Britannia Stadium after 119 years. At the time of its demolition it was the oldest operational ground in the Football League. History ...

. The club reached the third round of the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

the following season, but lost 1–0 to

Colchester United Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1937, the club spent its earl ...

, who went on to knock out

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...

in the fifth round. That year's cup run included a 6–1 first round win over then Fourth Division Newport County, equalling the competition's all-time record for a win by a non-league side over league opponents. The 1971–72 season proved one of the most successful. Using just 15 players for 80 competitive matches Barnet reached Wembley in the FA Trophy, losing 3–0 to Stafford Rangers, and reached the final of the Southern League Cup, drawing 2–2 with Hereford on aggregate. The replay, played the next season, was a 2–2 draw but Barnet went on to win 7–6 on penalties. In 1972–73, Barnet put up a tremendous fight against

Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...

in the third round of the FA Cup. The match at

Loftus Road Loftus Road is a football stadium in White City, London, England, which is home to Queens Park Rangers. In 1981, it became the first stadium in British professional football to have an artificial pitch of Omniturf installed. This remained in ...

ended 0–0 and the replay at Underhill drew in excess of 11,000 spectators. Rangers eventually won 3–0. In 1975, Barnet were relegated back to the Southern League Division One North, after one season they switched to the Southern League Division One South which they won at the first attempt and returned to the Southern League Premier. It was during this period that many famous names played for the club including

Jimmy Greaves James Peter Greaves (20 February 1940 – 19 September 2021) was an English professional footballer who played as a forward. Greaves is regarded as one of England’s best ever players. He is England's fifth-highest international goalscorer ...

, Marvin Hinton,

Bob McNab Robert McNab (born 20 July 1943) is an English former footballer who played as a defender. McNab featured for clubs Huddersfield Town, Arsenal, Wolverhampton Wanderers, San Antonio Thunder, Barnet, Vancouver Whitecaps and Tacoma Stars in his pl ...

, Terry Mancini and John Fairbrother.

, although playing in midfield, still ended the season as leading goal scorer with 27 goals. By virtue of their Premier Division positions in seasons 1977–78 and 1978–79, Barnet were given a place in the newly formed

. In the first three Alliance seasons, Barnet just avoided relegation, but in 1982–3 they finished 15th and a year later 9th. Then in 1984–85, when it looked like Barnet would face relegation, manager

left to take charge at Maidstone United. The season was resurrected under the guidance of ex-player Roger Thompson, with the team losing only one of their remaining thirteen league games. They also managed to beat

– fierce rivals at the time and about to win the non-league double – by seven goals to nil, thanks to a haul from

Nicky Evans Nicky Evans (born 20 April 1979) is an English actor who is best known for playing the roles of Shane Maguire on Channel 4's hit comedy drama '' Shameless'' and Roy Glover on the ITV soap opera, ''Emmerdale''. He has also played roles in vari ...

and a hat trick by

Steve Mahoney Steven W. Mahoney, (born July 18, 1947) is a Canadian politician. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1987 to 1995, and a member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1997 to 2004. In the latter capacity, he served as ...

. In season 1985–86 they finished 14th but reached the final of the Bob Lord Trophy only to lose to old friends Stafford Rangers. Dom MacAllister replaced Roger Thompson and then in July 1986,

returned, much to the delight of the supporters. He led Barnet to their best league position for many years finishing runners-up in the renamed

Football Conference The National League (named Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons) is an association football league in England consisting of three divisions, the National League, National League North, and National League South. It was called the ...

scoring 86 goals. Despite turbulent times off the field, during season 1986–87 (the first season of automatic promotion to the Football League for Conference champions) the club maintained their scoring, again finishing runners-up,

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, su ...

taking the automatic position into the Fourth Division. Lincoln City came down but in 1987–88 they returned ahead of Barnet in the championship. 1988–89 was another indifferent season; at one time looking like relegation prospects, the team secured 8th place, in the process using no fewer than 47 players. They did however win the Clubcall Cup (League Cup), the final being played at Telford United's Bucks Head Ground, by beating

Hyde United Hyde United Football Club is a semi-professional football club in Hyde, Greater Manchester, England. Formed in 1919, they were renamed Hyde F.C. between 2010 and 2015 as part of a sponsorship deal with Manchester City.Darlington that took the top spot. A good run in the 1990–91

culminated in a home defeat by

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

in the 3rd round. A win in the last game of the season against Fisher Athletic finally saw Barnet promoted to the Fourth Division of the Football League.

Football League (1991–2001)

Barnet F.C. joined the Fourth Division of

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in Association football around the wor ...

on winning the

championship in 1991. Their early reputation was of playing fast, attacking football, a reputation only enhanced by their first ever league match (which they lost 4–7 to

Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, that competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' because of ...

), and a 5–5 draw to Brentford in the

League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...

in their next match. In their first season of league football the club reached the promotion playoffs but lost to Blackpool in the semi finals. The 1992–93 season saw controversy at Underhill as Barnet chairman Stan Flashman regarding club accounts and players' wages, resulting in some nationwide back page headlines. Flashman also brought his son, Mark, to the club as a reserve goalkeeper. In spite of the financial problems, Barnet finished third in the new

Division Three The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. When the FA Premier League was formed, the division become the fourth tier level. In 2004, following the fo ...

and secured the final automatic promotion spot. Manager

, however, left Barnet with a handful of games remaining and was replaced by his assistant Edwin Stein, who himself then left to join Fry in the summer at

Southend United Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...

Goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

Gary Phillips took over as manager during a difficult summer in which Barnet marginally survived a vote of expulsion by a Football League EGM, and lost the vast majority of their promotion winning side in a tribunal which nullified the players' contracts. Phillips cobbled together a squad from the few remaining players and free transfers. In January 1994 Phillips was assisted by former

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

Ray Clemence Raymond Neal Clemence, (5 August 1948 – 15 November 2020) was an England international football goalkeeper and part of the Liverpool team of the 1970s. He is one of only 31 players to have made over 1,000 career appearances, and holds the ...

, but were still relegated from Division Two. In August 1994 Ray Clemence became sole manager for two seasons, finishing 11th and then ninth in Division Three. Then at the start of the 1996–97 season Ray Clemence left to become

goalkeeping coach, leaving

Terry Bullivant Terry Bullivant (born 23 September 1956, Lambeth) is an English Association football, football Coach (sport), manager. During his playing career he was a midfielder, representing Fulham F.C., Fulham and Aston Villa F.C., Aston Villa. Following h ...

in charge. The following season saw Barnet slump to 15th place, their lowest Football League finish until that point, though Bullivant was still approached to take over as manager of

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spelling ...

that summer; he accepted the job, and

John Still John Still (c. 1543 – 26 February 1607/1608) was Master of two Cambridge colleges and then, from 1593, Bishop of Bath and Wells. He enjoyed considerable fame as an English preacher and disputant. He was formerly reputed to be the author of an ...

replaced him as manager. The following four seasons saw the club yo-yo in form, as they finished 7th and reached the play-offs in 1997–98, hit a new low of 16th place in 1998–99, and then finished sixth and qualified for the play-offs once more in 1999–2000. 2000–01 initially looked to be another solid campaign, with Barnet among the leading pack from early on; in early November however, Still was "kicked upstairs" to become the club's director of football and was succeeded by

Tony Cottee Antony Richard Cottee (born 11 July 1965) is an English former professional footballer and manager who now works as a television football commentator. As a player, he was a striker from 1982 until 2001, notably playing in the top flight of En ...

, an ambitious high-profile appointment which aimed to take the club forward. Despite a 7–0 victory in his first match in charge vs Blackpool, the club ultimately won only five more games for the remainder of the season and finished in bottom place after failing to beat second-bottom

Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the , the fifth tier of English football. They have played their home matches at Plainmoor since 1921 and are nicknamed ...

, returning to the Conference after exactly a decade. Still was reinstated as manager in the final stages of the season, but was ultimately unable to rescue the club.

Life in the Conference (2001–2005)

Still remained in charge for the club's return to the Conference, and with a good first half of the season it looked as if their stay would be a short one. However, a terrible run of form after Christmas 2001 saw the side crash to mid-table and led to Still's final departure from the club. He was replaced by Peter Shreeves, who only months before had been in charge of Division One side

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot ...

, and quickly turned Barnet's form around. With only the Conference champions going up in this season the prospect of promotion was already long-gone by the time Shreeves was appointed, but the fifth-place finish that they ultimately managed would be good enough for the play-offs introduced for the following season. Unfortunately Barnet did not maintain their momentum into 2002–03, and Shreeves was sacked late in that season, with Barnet in very much the same mid-table position he had found them in.

Martin Allen Martin James Allen (born 14 August 1965) is an English football manager and former player. He played more than 100 games as a midfielder for both Queens Park Rangers and West Ham United before finishing his playing career with Portsmouth and ...

took over as manager and brought a turn-around in results, though it was again too late to mount a promotion challenge and they finished a distinctly underwhelming 11th. 2003–04 proved to be a much better campaign, and the club were challenging near the top of the table throughout the season, but Allen left to take over at fellow London club Brentford with only a couple of months of the campaign left. Former

Stevenage Borough Stevenage Football Club (known as Stevenage Borough Football Club until 2010) is a professional association football club based in the town of Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, League Two, the fourth tier o ...

manager Paul Fairclough replaced Allen for the remainder of the 2003–04 season. The club's form stuttered, falling out of contention for automatic promotion and very nearly even the play-offs as well, but this time the club were able to rebound and secure a fourth-place finish, setting up a play-off semi final with the side directly above them,

Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. The club plays its home games at the New Meadow, having mo ...

. This was taken to penalties after a 2–2 aggregate score (Barnet won 2–1 at Underhill, Shrewsbury won 1–0 at

Gay Meadow Gay Meadow was the home ground of Shrewsbury Town football club in Shropshire, England. Just outside the town centre, on the banks of the River Severn, it opened in 1910. The ground closed at the end of the 2006-07 Football League season and t ...

), with Shrewsbury winning 5–3 on penalties. The following season, 2004–05, with Fairclough at the helm, the Bees went one better than the previous season and were crowned Champions of the

Conference Premier The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-professi ...

and regained their football league status, after amassing an impressive 86 points in the season, and scoring 90 goals with it. Barnet also finished 12 points ahead of their nearest rival,

Hereford United Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'Th ...

. Giuliano Grazioli finished with 29 goals, and was also top scorer in the League.

Return to the Football League (2005–2013)

The 2005–06 season started with Barnet leading League Two after four games, but this form did not continue and the club finished the season five places and 5 points above the relegation zone, yet only 12 points out of the playoffs, with only 1 win in the first 12 games of 2006. In the

the Bees drew a lucrative away tie against Manchester United in October 2005. 5,000 fans made the trip to Old Trafford to see Barnet lose 4–1, goalkeeper Ross Flitney being sent-off in the second minute. The 2006–07 season started poorly for Barnet, but a mid-season rally saw them finish the season in 14th place. A good run in the

also saw them reach the fourth round of that competition for the first time in their history, beating Championship side

2–1 in the third round and

Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team plays in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the club competed in the Midland ...

4–1 in the second round before losing 2–0 to Plymouth Argyle at home. 2007–08 saw another mid-table finish for Barnet; 12th with 60 points, and a second run to the Fourth Round of the FA Cup, where they lost 1–0 to

Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been ...

, with

Jason Puncheon Jason David Ian Puncheon (born 18 June 1986) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Cypriot First Division club Anorthosis Famagusta . Following his goal against Everton on his Blackpool debut, he has scored in a ...

missing a penalty for the Bees. The 2008–09 season started poorly, and by late September only the three teams that had been docked points prior to the start of the season had lower league positions. After a run of thirteen games without a win in any competition Paul Fairclough announced his resignation to take up a role as director and leaving the first team duties to his assistant

Ian Hendon Ian Michael Hendon (born 5 December 1971) is an English football manager and former player who played as a defender. Playing career Hendon was born in Ilford, Greater London. Primarily a right-back but sometimes deployed in the centre or in ...

. Fairclough would take over one last game which resulted in a 2–0 win against another relegation threatened side AFC Bournemouth. Results improved, and before the end of the season Hendon was made permanent boss with a two-year contract. The Bees stayed in Football League Two for the following 2009–10 season, which started with four wins from their first six games. A poor run of form would follow, including a 13-game winless streak, and after five consecutive defeats left the Bees close to the relegation zone, Ian Hendon was sacked in April with two games of the season remaining. Paul Fairclough returned as caretaker manager for the last two games and guided the Bees to safety with a 1–0 win at home to

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...

on the last day of the season. On 1 June 2010,

Mark Stimson Mark Nicholas Stimson (born 27 December 1967) is an English former footballer and is currently manager of Hornchurch. He signed his first professional contract with Tottenham Hotspur in 1985, but was unable to gain a regular place in the team. I ...

was appointed as the new manager and after a poor start to the season was sacked on 1 January 2011. He was succeeded by the ever-present Paul Fairclough; however, he stepped down after only being able to secure three wins in 17 games. He was then succeeded by

, who was asked to manage Barnet on a non-contract basis until the end of the season; however, after just 3 matches, he was offered a contract from

Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 25 November 1862, it is the ...

and subsequently left for them. With just 5 games left of the season, assistant manager Giuliano Grazioli took over, having been appointed as Assistant manager by Martin Allen earlier. Grazioli was also able to bring in

Lawrie Sanchez Lawrence Philip Sanchez (born 22 October 1959) is a Northern Irish football manager and former international footballer. The defining moment of his playing career came in the 1988 FA Cup Final, when he scored the winning goal for Wimbledon a ...

as an adviser. Grazioli took Barnet to the last day of the season 2 points behind Lincoln City in the relegation zone. Barnet were up against

Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...

in their final match on 7 May 2011 at Underhill and were able to win 1–0 following a penalty scored by Izale McLeod. Aldershot Town's 3–0 victory over Lincoln City meant Barnet finished a point above Lincoln City and the relegation zone. Pitch invasions followed as the club survived on the last day of the season again, as the day was regarded as the "great escape". Following the end of the season,

was appointed as manager. In the 2011–12 season, Lawrie Sanchez steered the side to 3rd from bottom with 3 games to go. He was replaced on 16 April by Martin Allen, who managed to keep Barnet up on the last day of the season following a 2–1 win over

Burton Albion Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club moved its home grou ...

leaving Barnet two points above

and the relegation zone. This was the third year in a row that Barnet had managed to secure their Football League survival on the last day. Barnet's 2012–13 season started disappointingly, without a single win in August or September. On 11 October 2012, Barnet confirmed a huge coup in signing the former

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

and

Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Gree ...

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

Edgar Davids as player and joint head coach alongside Mark Robson. In October Barnet recorded their first win of the season with a 4–0 result against

. Near the end of December, Barnet announced that Robson's contract had been terminated, saying: "It was felt that clarification was required regarding the coaching responsibilities at the club and to this end it was agreed that Mark should leave with immediate effect." This left Davids with sole responsibility for the club. The team were then relegated back to the Conference on 27 April 2013, after finishing on 51 points (the highest ever obtained by a team relegated from League 2) and going down due to an inferior goal difference to that of Dagenham and Redbridge, after a 2–0 loss to Northampton.

Return to the Conference (2013–2015)

Barnet started the 2013–14 season in the

. On 18 January 2014, head coach Edgar Davids resigned from his role by mutual consent. On 19 March 2014, Martin Allen was appointed head coach on a contract running until the end of the 2014–15 season, marking the start of his fourth spell as manager. At the end of the season, Barnet finished top of the Conference Premier and were promoted to

Second return to the Football League (2015–2018)

In their first season back in the Football League, Martin Allen led the team to a 15th-place finish with a final end of season win away at

Crawley Town Crawley Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crawley, West Sussex, England. The club was founded as Crawley Football Club in 1896, changed its name to Crawley Town Football Club in 1958. The team com ...

with a finishing result of 3–0. On 1 December 2016 Allen resigned from his post at Barnet to take up the job at

Eastleigh Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire, England, between Southampton and Winchester. It is the largest town and the administrative seat of the Borough of Eastleigh, with a population of 24,011 at the 2011 census. The town lies on the River Itchen, ...

. Rossi Eames and Henry Newman were appointed joint interim head coach with Newman leaving three months later on 14 February 2017. This was followed by the appointment of Kevin Nugent who only lasted two months with one win in 11 games before being parting company with Barnet. This left Eames in the caretaker position of coach until the end of the season with Barnet finishing in 15th place two seasons in a row. On 19 May 2017 he was then appointed permanent head coach setting a new record making Eames the youngest manager at the age of 32. In November of the 2017–18 season saw Mark McGhee appointed as their new manager with Rossi Eames appointed head of player development. In January 2018 Barnet were sitting bottom of League Two and took the decision to move Mark McGhee to the Technical Director position and appoint

Graham Westley Graham Neil Westley (born 4 March 1968) is an English former professional footballer and manager who was most recently manager of League Two club Stevenage. Westley's playing career, spent mostly as a striker in non-League football, was curt ...

first team coach. Into March and still sitting at the bottom of the table, Barnet took the decision to sack Graham Westley and reappoint Martin Allen for his fifth spell. It was also reported that Mark McGhee had left the club. Allen turned Barnet fortunes around with five wins out of the next eight matches leaving it to the last day of the season to determine their fate. Barnet won their final match against Chesterfield but with Morecambe drawing leaving both teams on the same number of points, Barnet were subsequently relegated out of the league due to goal difference. It was confirmed on 10 May that Allen had, once again, left the club.

National League (2018–present)

Following the departure of Allen, Barnet re-appointed

as their manager for the 2018–19 National League season. On 28 December 2018, Still announced his retirement from management, two days after a 1–0 defeat to

Boreham Wood Borehamwood (, historically also Boreham Wood) is a town in southern Hertfordshire, England, from Charing Cross. Borehamwood has a population of 31,074, and is within the London commuter belt. The town's film and TV studios are commonly known ...

, with the club 15th in the league. Assistant Manager

Darren Currie Darren Paul Currie (born 29 November 1974) is an English former footballer who made over 600 appearances in The Football League. He is assistant head coach of Southend United. Club career Currie, who is the nephew of former Sheffield United, L ...

took temporary charge before eventually taking the job on a permanent basis, leading the club to a 13th-placed finish. In the

2018–19 FA Cup The 2018–19 FA Cup (also known as the Football Association Challenge Cup) was the 138th edition of the oldest association football, football tournament in the world. It was sponsored by Emirates (airline), Emirates and known as The Emirates F ...

, Barnet, despite their status as a fifth-tier team, managed to progress into the fourth round of the competition, winning against

Stockport County Stockport County Football Club are a professional football club in Stockport, England, who compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, they were renamed Stockport Co ...

, and

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...

. The 2020–21 season saw Barnet record their lowest league position for many years. They finished within the relegation zone of the National League, but were saved from dropping into the National League South due to the abandonment of the 2020–21

National League North The National League North, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League Syst ...

and South mid-season (owing to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

). The team's 2020–21 performance was greatly hampered by the club being badly affected by the pandemic during the first half of the season, and the closure of the club's EFL-funded football academy at the end of the previous season.

Stadiums

Underhill

Barnet's first stadium named Underhill was established in 1907 when the football club were named Barnet & Alston. This was arranged on 100-year lease with Barnet Council. The first ever game at the ground was against another London club, namely

, which ended 1–0 to Barnet. Over the years notable matches at Underhill included a game in 1952 against

Wycombe Wanderers Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play their ho ...

which had the highest recorded attendance of 11,026 spectators. The stadium's capacity fluctuated over the years from all-standing to the addition of an all-seater mainstand in 1964 to a final capacity of 6,023. With the lease ending in 2007 the Barnet chairman Tony Kleanthous extended the lease with the council for a further 5 years. But by December 2011 Kleanthous became increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress from the council to extend the original lease by another 125 years. With plans to build a new stadium on the site continually rejected Kleanthous started to look elsewhere to relocate Barnet, meaning the end of their stay at Underhill. Barnet's final game at Underhill came on 20 April 2013 against Wycombe Wanderers, which they won 1–0 in front of 6,000 spectators. In July 2012 Harrow Council agreed the development of a new stadium called

The Hive Stadium The Hive Stadium is a stadium in Canons Park, North London, on the former site of the Prince Edward Playing Fields in the London Borough of Harrow. The stadium is home to National League football club Barnet, London Bees of the FA Women's Cha ...

at the Prince Edward Playing Fields which the club can use for a period of up to 10 years. In February 2013, Barnet's move to the new ground was ratified by

The Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in Association football around the wor ...

Hive Stadium

On 1 August 2007, Barnet chairman Tony Kleanthous announced that he had acquired a site in Harrow. The deal would see Barnet contribute £6 million towards an £11 million development, which would include training facilities for Barnet's first, reserve and ladies teams, as well as a 5,000 stadium for nearby

. The plan also provides for a second, smaller 'green' 1,000 capacity stadium, for ladies and youth football, as well as a centre of excellence and community use facilities. After a quiet 10 months, an announcement was made on 23 May 2008, which confirmed the plans for the first phase of the development. Costing £3 million, the works included two full size FIFA approved 3rd Generation artificial pitches, senior and youth pitches, car and coach parking, changing facilities for 14 teams, as well as a reception and cafe area. The work would 'provide some of the best training and community use facilities in the country' ending Barnet's nomadic existence in search of areas in which to train. Work began in the Autumn of 2008, once the Football Foundation provided £1 million of funding. Harrow Borough Council also provided £750,000 towards the cost of the project. Worryingly for Wealdstone supporters, the first phases of plans did not include any mention of providing the stadium initially proposed. Wealdstone made a statement after the first phase plans were announced, insisting that the intention still remains to play at PEPF, and that talks were ongoing, although any deal would have to be right for Wealdstone. In April 2009, a delegation from the Barnet Football Club Supporters Association (BFCSA) visited the site and interviewed the man overseeing the construction and continued development, Paul Fairclough. A video made during the tour shows the work being carried out, throwing up some new, previously unknown information about the site, such as the construction of a swimming pool and Jacuzzi, and the fact that Highbury's floodlights were currently being stored there! The interview was particularly revealing, indicating that the development is in the first of four planned stages (suggesting a stadium for Wealdstone is still a possibility), that there were hopes to have the England senior team hold training camps there, and that the proposed centre of excellence would cost £250,000 per year to run. There was also some indication of how Barnet could financially exploit the site, and attain a degree of self-sufficiency, as they were in the process of doing a deal with an organisation to rent out the astro turf pitches for £30,000 for one year. In addition, up to £180,000 per year is available to Football League clubs to run their youth systems. In May 2009, it was reported that Harrow Borough and Wealdstone are in negotiation with Barnet to use the training facilities. The training ground is known as "The Hive" and was opened by Fabio Capello and

Trevor Brooking Sir Trevor David Brooking, (born 2 October 1948) is a former England international footballer, manager, pundit and football administrator; he now works as director of football development in England. He spent almost his entire career at West ...

on 15 December 2009. Since then, major teams visiting London, such as then-Premier League club Hull City, Italian side Parma, French side AS Monaco and the Egyptian, Brazilian, Chilean and German National Squads, have made use of the training facilities. London Bees's The Hive Stadium (03)

Club crest and nickname

The club's current crest was designed in the 1950s and contains the green hill of

High Barnet Chipping Barnet or High Barnet is a suburban market town in north London, forming part of the London Borough of Barnet, England. It is a suburban development built around a 12th-century settlement, and is located north-northwest of Charing Cr ...

and the red rose, white rose and crossed swords representing the 1471

Battle of Barnet The Battle of Barnet was a decisive engagement in the Wars of the Roses, a dynastic conflict of 15th-century England. The military action, along with the subsequent Battle of Tewkesbury, secured the throne for Edward IV. On Sunday 14 April ...

, a pivotal battle in the

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These wars were fought bet ...

. The badge was designed by Sidney Robert Price who was the chairman of the club at the time. The club's nickname of "The Bees", reflected in their amber and black shirts, is likely to have come from the location of apiaries close to the Underhill ground in the early years of the 20th century. Coincidentally, this nickname is similar to those of two of Barnet's neighbours,

Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and ...

("The Hornets") and Brentford (also "The Bees").

Rivalries

Traditionally, the club's main local rivals were

Enfield Enfield may refer to: Places Australia * Enfield, New South Wales * Enfield, South Australia ** Electoral district of Enfield, a state electoral district in South Australia, corresponding to the suburb ** Enfield High School (South Australia) ...

. The two clubs were amongst the biggest in Non-League during the 1980s and matches between them were fiercely contested. Enfield suffered numerous off-field problems and the original club has since ceased to exist and reformed as Enfield 1893 F.C. in 2007, suffering a split in the past in 2001 after the formation of the breakaway club Enfield Town. As such, the last clash with the original club was in 1991, in the FA Cup, a match which Barnet won 4–1. Other local rivals include Stevenage,

, Brentford and

. Barnet have also had a long-lasting friendly rivalry with their "big neighbours" Arsenal, with whom they regularly had pre-season friendlies for several seasons.

Players

Squad

Out on loan

Former players

''For a complete list of former Barnet players with Wikipedia articles, see :Barnet F.C. players.''

Staff

. *Chairman: Anthony Kleanthous *Manager: Dean Brennan *Assistant Coach: John Dreyer *Head of Performance: Georges Berthonneau *Academy Manager: *First Team Physio: Daniel Cluett *Goalkeeping Coach: *Club Doctor: Dr Christian Kleanthous *Head of Recruitment – North: Michael Cairney *Head of Recruitment – South: Kirk Rayment *Performance Analyst: Aaron Roberts *Team Logistics Manager: *Kit Man :

Honours

:''Citation:''
Barnet FC Honours List
'

League

* Conference/National League (Tier 5): **Winners (3, record):

1990–91 Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since t ...

, 2004–05, 2014–15 **''Runners up:'' 1986–87, 1987–88, 1989–90 * Southern League Division One (Tier 6): **Winners: 1965–66 * Southern League Division One South (Tier 6): **Winners: 1976–77

Cups

* FA Trophy: **''Runners up:'' 1971–72 * FA Amateur Cup **Winners: 1945–46 **''Runners up:'' 1947–48, 1958–59 *

Conference League Cup The Conference League Cup (formerly known as the Setanta Shield for sponsorship reasons, and before that the Bob Lord Trophy) was a football competition open to clubs playing in the Football Conference. History The competition was formed for t ...

: **Winners: 1989 **''Runners up:'' 1984, 1986 * Southern League Cup: **Winners: 1971–72 **''Runners up:'' 1966–67 * Hertfordshire Senior Challenge Cup: **Winners (7): 1985–86, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1995–96, 2006–07, 2010–11 *Micky Mays Memorial Trophy: **Winners (6): 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985 *

Middlesex Senior Cup The Middlesex Senior Cup is the most prestigious football cup competition in the historic county of Middlesex, England. The competition is run mainly for non-League clubs in the region, although league clubs have been known to enter the compe ...

: **Winners (3): 1931–32, 1932–33, 2021–22 * London Senior Cup: **Winners (3): 1937–38, 1940–41, 1946–47 * Herts Senior Cup: **Winners (19): 1939–40, 1941–42, 1944–45, 1945–46, 1947–48, 1948–49, 1949–50, 1957–58, 1960–61, 1962–63, 1964–65, 1979–80, 1985–86, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1995–96, 2006–07, 2010–11

Club records

*Record attendance in League Two: 6,001 v Wycombe Wanderers. 2012–2013 * Record Attendance: 11,026 v

. FA Amateur Cup 4th rd. 1951–52 *Record League Victory: 7–0 v Blackpool, (home)

, 11 November 2000 *Record League Defeat: 1–9 v

Peterborough United Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Peterborough have a long-standing ...

, (home)

, 5 September 1998 *Record Away Victory: 10–0 v

(Southern League Premier Division) 7 February 1970 *Record Away Defeat: 7–0 v

21 August 2010 *Most League Goals in Total: Arthur Morris, 403, nine seasons 1927–36 *Most League Appearances: Les Eason, 648, 1965–74,1977–78 *Transfer Record (Received): £800,000 from

for

Dougie Freedman Douglas Alan Freedman (born 25 May 1974) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player. He is the current sporting director of Crystal Palace. Freedman played as a striker, primarily for Crystal Palace and also had spells as ...

*Transfer Record (Paid): £130,000 to

for Greg Heald

Managers

*2021 Dean Brennan *2021

Harry Kewell Harry Kewell (born 22 September 1978) is an Australian association football coach, manager and former player. His most recent role as a club manager was at English National League side Barnet, and he is currently a first team coach at Celtic F ...

*2021

Simon Bassey Simon James Bassey (born 5 February 1976) is an English former Association football, footballer. During his playing career he played as a midfielder. Bassey was also temporary caretaker manager/coach at Portsmouth F.C, Portsmouth from 3 January ...

(interim) *2021 Gary Anderson (caretaker) *2021 Paul Fairclough (caretaker) *2020

Tim Flowers Timothy David Flowers (born 3 February 1967) is an English football manager and former player who recently was the manager of Stratford Town. He played as a goalkeeper from 1984 until 2003, notably in the Premier League for Blackburn Rovers w ...

*2020 Peter Beadle *2018

*2018

(interim) *2018

*2018

*2017 Mark McGhee *2017 Rossi Eames *2017 Rossi Eames (interim) *2017 Kevin Nugent *2016 Rossi Eames & Henry Newman (interim) *2014 Martin Allen *2014 Ulrich Landvreugd &

Dick Schreuder Jan-Dirk "Dick" Schreuder (born 12 August 1971) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Keuken Kampioen Divisie club PEC Zwolle. He formerly played for PSV, Sparta Rotterdam, Groningen, RKC Waalw ...

*2014 Paul Fairclough (caretaker) *2012 Edgar Davids *2012 Mark Robson & Edgar Davids *2012 Mark Robson *2012 Martin Allen *2011

*2011 Giuliano Grazioli (caretaker) *2011 Martin Allen *2011 Paul Fairclough (caretaker) *2010

*2010 Paul Fairclough (caretaker) *2008

*2004 Paul Fairclough *2004 Ian Hendon & Danny Maddix (Joint Caretakers) *2004

Adrian Whitbread Adrian Richard Whitbread (born 22 October 1971) is an English football manager and former professional footballer. As a player, he was a defender who notably played in the Premier League for Swindon Town and West Ham United. He also played ...

& Damien Doyle (Joint Caretakers) *2003 Martin Allen *2003 Peter Shreeves *2001

*2001

*1997

*1996

Alan Mullery Alan Patrick Mullery (born 23 November 1941) is an English former footballer and manager. After enjoying a successful career with Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur, and the England national team in the 1960s and 1970s, he became a manager working with ...

*1996 Terry Gibson *1996 Terry Bullivant *1994

*1994 Ray Clemence & Gary Phillips *1994 Gary Phillips *1993 Edwin Stein *1986

*1985 Don McAllister *1985 Roger Thompson *1979 Barry Fry *1976 Billy Meadows *1975 Colin Flatt *1974 Brian Kelly *1974 Gordon Ferry *1973 Gerry Ward *1970 Tommy Coleman *1962 Dexter Adams *1961 Wally Lines *1957 George Wheeler *1956 Ted Crawford *1954 George Wheeler *1951

Lester Finch Lester Charles Finch (26 August 1909 – 20 November 1995) was an English football player and manager, best known for his long association with Barnet, and for representing Great Britain at the 1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympi ...

*1951 Sonny Weightman *1945

*1939 Gerry Kimber *1937 Bert Fydelor *1929 Reg Clayton *1922 Tom Gloss

References

External links

* {{Authority control Football clubs in England Former English Football League clubs Sport in the London Borough of Barnet Association football clubs established in 1888 Football clubs in London Southern Football League clubs 1888 establishments in England Athenian League London League (football) National League (English football) clubs