The chair of the Barnet FC Supporters Association is positive about the club’s chances of promotion this season after they moved to the top of the National League.
Following a 3-0 victory against Wealdstone FC on 21 September and a further 1-0 victory against Aldershot Town FC on 24 September, Barnet sit at the top of the table with 24 points from 11 games.
The club narrowly missed out on promotion last season, finishing second in the table and then losing 4-0 to Solihull Moors in the play-offs.
Chair Mark Whitelegg said: “I think we’ve got a very, very good chance of promotion.
“I think the quality of the overall squad is excellent. We’ve got some players who can definitely play at the next level, and that makes all the difference.”
Barnet will play AFC Fylde tomorrow, as they look to extend their lead at the top of the league and Whitelegg explained why they have performed so well this season.
He said: “It’s two things really: consistency of our management and playing staff.
“We’ve had manager Dean Brennan at the club for three years, so he’s been able to bring a philosophy to the overall team, and therefore build a team around that philosophy.
“Also the investment of our chairman, Anthony Kleanthous. He’s clearly seen something in Dean which all the Barnet supporters have seen, something worth investing in to get us back into the Football League.
“The combination of both has resulted in us being able to build on two relatively successful seasons, and build a real challenging team for this year, a team that a lot of Barnet fans are quite confident can go all the way.”
The 2024-25 season sees the first National League season for a while where no ‘super clubs’ have been competing.
In the 2022-23 season, Wrexham AFC, famously purchased by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, were promoted alongside Notts County.
The following season, after seeing a £1million investment from Phil and Ashley Kirk in 2022 and a further £1.6million in 2023, Chesterfield FC were promoted into League Two.
Whitelegg acknowledged the huge impact these clubs have had on the National League
Whitelegg said: “I don’t blame these clubs at all, or their fans, because if you had the opportunity, you would do it, wouldn’t you?
“But it’s very difficult, even for clubs who are relatively well funded like Barnet, to compete with the likes of Chesterfield or Wrexham or Notts County whose budgets are in the millions.
“A lot of the National League clubs, you’re probably looking at a budget of £1million or less in terms of the playing budget. So, it’s a real discrepancy.
“This season it’s definitely more of an even playing field.”
Whitelegg said that it would mean a huge amount to Barnet and their fans to be promoted.
He cited a supporter-led campaign to move Barnet FC back to Barnet itself as part of that.
The club have been based in Edgware since they moved from Underhill Stadium in 2013, and many fans want Barnet to return to their home borough.
Whitelegg added: “The amount of interest we’ve had from the borough of Barnet for us coming back to a new ground, hopefully very near our old one at Underhill, has been huge.
“I think it’s clear that it’s a case of you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.
“The Bring Barnet Back campaign and the good stuff on the pitch are feeding each other.”
Tickets for Barnet FC’s match against AFC Fylde can be purchased for £5 here.
Featured image credit: Elizabeth Payne
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