Football Season Guide

Barnet begin their non-league challenge next week after suffering what seemed like inevitable relegation from the Football League. For a few years, the Bees managed to somehow save themselves from that scenario after a number of miraculous survivals but there was no escape this time even though Barnet actually played better football than in the previous season and could feel slightly hard done by their demise. However, relegation has not shook Barnet as bad many teams that drop out of the Football League as they already stick to a very strict budget and have kept their manager, the still active former Champions League winner Edgar Davids. The Dutchman decided that he is ready for the challenge of non-league and it will be no doubts intriguing to see how he fares in an environment that is completely unknown to him. The move to the Conference coincided with a move to a new stadium, the Hive, after their were not allowed to remain at Underhill. There is enthusiasm around the new place though and a feeling that it will bring the fans closer to the club and develop a better unity among the whole club. Barnet have not lost too many of their key players in the summer despite an extensive cull of the squad. Jake Hyde is still at the club despite submitting a transfer request while the likes of Graham Stack, Curtis Weston, Mark Byrne and Keanu Marsh-Brown are still part of the squad. There is definitely good quality in the squad but the players will need time to get used to the new league as almost none of them has actually played in the Conference before. That, along with the fact that there are several bigger and more ambitious clubs than Barnet in the league, mean that the Bees may have to settle for a season of consolidation where a top-ten finish but outside the play-offs is their most realistic target.