A fond ‘farewell’, to the ground where it’s always downhill second half

An Easter treat from the wonderful Victoria Sharkey, Arsenal season ticket holder and Barnet Bees fan. Victoria is a great friend and the wife of our Spurs correspondent Mr Dan Raywood. I hope you enjoy and I hope there is more to come

Barnet Football Club, currently in another battle against the drop at the bottom of League 2, move from Underhill at the end of the season.  Their home since 1907, the club must move due to primarily to the local council refusing permission to develop to the standards now required of a league club.  The Bees will be moving to The Hive, currently their training ground, situated in Edgware… controversially not within the borough of Barnet.  Many hope that one day the situation will change and that we will at least be able to move back to the Borough at some point in the future, perhaps even to Underhill.  It would really only need a more progressive and supportive council, and a small injection of cash; at the moment, the former looks unlikely to happen.  But the latter is a real possibility.

Barnet have featured in both the sporting and the mainstream press this season mainly due to the shock signing of former Dutch international Edgar Davids.  (And yes, the idea of Davids at Barnet still makes me think I am in some strange parallel universe!)  Davids, whose previous clubs include Spurs, Juventus and Ajax, joined the Bees in October in a move which most of us thought strange to say the least.  He was also appointed joint coach alongside Mark Robson, although Robson left the club in December.

As time went on, a few rumours were heard as to why Davids had made this bold move.  He and his family had remained living in North London after he left Spurs, so whatever he did next was likely to involve staying in the area.  When spotted shopping in Cockfosters, most thought that this would mean a return to Spurs in a coaching capacity, but we then heard that he wanted to get into club ownership, rather than simply management or coaching.  We heard that he had spoken to Barnet chairman Tony Kleanthos about taking over the Bees, and this was acknowledged by Kleanthos in the press.  So it suddenly made sense; Davids wants to own a football club, but he wants to own a league club rather than a conference club, and so he is playing and coaching at Barnet without receiving a salary in order to keep us in the league…after which, he will buy the club from Kleanthos.

The future is bright for Barnet, as long as we survive this current relegation battle.  Looking at the clubs in the fight with us, I’d say we are a good bet for staying up.   Davids can then take the club into a new era, with a new ground, new ownership, and can perhaps work some of his Ajax magic into a side who have suffered over the years from poor attendances and an inability to keep hold of our best players (Puncheon, Sinclair, Bailey, I’m looking at you!).

But, what of Underhill?  What of our past?

As a result of my required attendance at a Hen weekend on April 20^th, I won’t be able to attend the last home game, so this Friday in the game against Dagenham & Redbridge will be my last match on the glorious East Terrace.

I first went to Underhill in 1993.  Having just changed schools, I was dragged along by one of my new friends.  I can’t recall the fixture, but I remember standing on the covered South terrace, swapping ends at half time, and as a Gooner who had just seen her beloved North Bank knocked down to make way for seating, I loved the madness of the terrace.  I’ve loved the Bees, and our poxy little ground, ever since.

I made life changing friendships there, went on dates there, had the worst corporate hospitality imaginable, took non-footballing friends there, and of course met star striker (and scourge of Newcastle United fans) Guiliano Grazioli there (and them named my cat after him).  I sang ‘Twist and Shout’, ‘Do you take it up the arse, Martin Allen’, and my all-time favourite football song ‘Hit ‘im on the head with the Barnet Press’.  Most importantly, Underhill is where I met and fell in love with Dan, my now husband (2-1 v Notts County, Ian Hendon with two from the spot, in case you were wondering). 

There has been highs and lows, but winning promotion to the football league (with a 3-1 victory against Halifax that gave us the title) and beating Swindon on penalties in the FA Cup rate amongst the footballing highlights of my life.  I will love the Bees until the day I die…and that is about as long as I will continue to hate Brian Coleman.

Underhill.  I will miss your beautiful slopes.  Thanks for all the memories.

Perhaps, one day, the Black and Amber will play on your hallowed turf once more...?