Football Season Guide

Barnet will be hoping they won’t suffer “a difficult second season” back in Football League having enjoyed a steady if unspectacular 2015/16 campaign. The Bees were promoted back to League Two last summer after winning the Conference Premier title on the final day of the season, finishing two points clear of runners-up Bristol Rovers at the top of the table following a tight race for promotion. Martin Allen had returned for his third spell in charge in charge in March 2014 and he built a squad full of players with Football League experience. He relied on most of that squad for the first season back in the league, with striker John Akinde retained having scored 31 goals in all competitions. He was at the fore again as the Bees acclimatised to life back in League Two. He scored 24 goals to finish as leading goalscorer for the second season in succession. They relied heavily on their home form at the Hive to keep their heads above water and it was enough to ensure they never became embroiled in a relegation battle. Allen bloodied an impressive group of players from the club’s youth set-up and is set to rely on them even more this time around. Teenage defender Hakeem Odoffin was sold to Wolves last year and striker Matt Stevens has left to join Peterborough United this summer. Allen will be hoping to keep the rest of his youngsters and see just how far they can take the club this season. The only experienced player of note to depart during the close season is versatile midfielder Andy Yiadom and he has added midfielder Ryan Watson and strikers Alex Nicholls and Jean-Louis Akpa-Akpro to his squad. It remains to be seen whether Allen to successfully find the balance between youth and experience and it could prove the difference between mounting a play-off challenge and a battle against relegation in 2016/17.