The Bees return to the Hive tomorrow for matchday nine of the 2025/26 campaign, with Grimsby Town making the trip South as we look to get our first home win of the season under our belt.
Barnet:
The Bees recorded their third consecutive win on the road in Cheshire on Saturday against Lee Bell’s Crewe Alexandra.
Changes were made to the Bees’ starting eleven, which included starts for striker Lee Ndlovu and centre-back Nik Tavares.
A goalless first-half was played out between the two sides at the Mornflake Stadium, with both teams enjoying spells of dominance in possession, but not overloading in the final third.
The Railwaymen took the lead early in the second-half, but weren’t ahead for long, as 90 seconds later it was the returning Ndlovu who was in the right place at the right time to fire home the leveller from close-range.
Shot-stopper Cieran Slicker was the hero of the afternoon for the travelling team. Our number 29 was faced with two spot-kicks within ten minutes of each other and saved both to deny Crewe’s Josh March and Max Sanders from 12 yards out and keep the score even as the second-half progressed.
With ten minutes of normal time to go, the ball found itself into the Crewe box and after Nnamdi Ofoborh headed an effort on to the bar, it then fell to Glover inside the area and he confidently slotted it past Tom Booth to give the Bees the lead late on.
Dean Brennan’s side held the ball well in the final minutes and despite Crewe having a final chance for a late equaliser, were able to send the travelling Bees’ fans home with smiles on their faces.
Barnet’s last five results:
Crewe Alexandra 1-2 Barnet FC
Barnet FC 1-3 Shrewsbury Town
Luton Town 4-1 Barnet FC (Vertu Trophy)
Barnet FC 1-1 Colchester
Cheltenham Town 0-1 Barnet FC
From the dugout:
Connor Smith’s pre-match interview can be viewed HERE!
Grimsby Town:
The Mariners currently sit fifth in the Sky Bet League Two table, with four wins, three draws and just one loss after eight games.
As well as a strong start in the league, Grimsby have had an impressive Carabao Cup run, beating Shrewsbury Town, Manchester United and Sheffield Wednesday in their journey to the round of 16.
Their most recent league fixture saw them play out a 1-1 draw against Cambridge United at Blundell Park, with a 90th minute goal from former Barnet forward Justin Amaluzor; the 28-year-old capitalising on a Jaze Kabia penalty that was parried out by Jake Eastwood in the U’s net.
Grimsby Town’s last five results:
Sheffield Wednesday 0-1 Grimsby Town (Carabao Cup R3)
Grimsby Town – Cambridge United
MK Dons – 2-3 Grimsby Town
Bradford City 2-1 Grimsby Town (Vertu Trophy)
Grimsby Town 0-1 Bristol Rovers
In the opposition dugout:
The Mariners are under the leadership of David Artell, who took over the Head Coach role on the North East coast in November 2023.
The 44-year-old managed to steer the club away from relegation in the latter stages of the 23/24 campaign, before almost guiding them to a spot in the play-offs in the previous campaign, with the Mariners ending the season in ninth place and not managing a win in their final five fixtures.
Artell previously worked at Barnet’s most recent opponents, Crewe Alexandra, managing the Railwaymen for five years and before that, taking on the role of Academy Operations Manager.
During his five-year spell, Artell led the Alex to promotion at the end of the 2019/20 campaign, which was cut short due to COVID, but two years on, the club found themselves dropping out of League One and back into the fourth tier.
Ones to watch:
With six goals in all competitions so far, 25-year-old Jaze Kabia is enjoying his first spell of EFL football in black and white.
The centre-forward scored 17 goals and notched eleven assists last season as he helped Truro City lift the National League South title, before David Artell got the Irishman’s signature ahead of the 25/26 campaign.
Kabia is a nightmare for opposition defenders, with his pace allowing him to run in from behind and find himself in positions in the box to capitalise on deliveries from his teammates.
The Cork native has missed a few spot-kicks this campaign, however that hasn’t stopped him from making the difference for a strong Mariners’ side, with his tenacity and pace in the final third proving tricky to defend against.
Last time these two sides met:
The last time the two sides met at the Hive, was in the National League in 2022, the season where the Mariners would go on to earn promotion back into the EFL through the play-offs.
The Bees found themselves with a two-goal advantage thanks to goals from Adam Marriott and an own goal from Luke Waterfall from a Rob Hall cross.
The Mariners levelled the game in the second-half, with Andy Smith and Waterfall finding the back of the net. The result ended a 2-2 stalemate.
COYB