Last season the Bees visited AFC Wimbledon and the mood towards Manager Lawrie Sanchez was hostile on the back of an embarrassing 6-3 home defeat at the hands of Burton Albion the week before. The scoreline of 6-3 was bizarrely flattering to Barnet such was the dominance of the Brewers.

November and the word was out that Lawrie might well find the reception he was to receive from his own fans considerably different from that he’d get from the re-fashioned Wombles where his status is assailable.^thBarnet fans travelled in great numbers to this away fixture on 5

And yet as ever reactions are always fashioned by what happens on the pitch and the Bees fought manfully for a point which due to a very well executed Izale McLeod effort from a peach of a delivery by Danny Senda looked as if it might lead to a rare away win.

In between the Burton debacle and the game at Wimbledon Michael Hector had joined on loan from Reading and he immediately stamped his class in a very sound defensive display.

At the match and soon to form a very decent partnership with Hector at the back was Paul Downing on loan from West Bromwich Albion. These two signings clearly indicate an awareness that the Bees needed to tighten up at the back.

So where are we now, a season on? Well again, many Bees will travel to support their team, with rumours of a turnout of around 700 but unfortunately the spectre of relegation still haunts us, but in terms of morale and faith in the management structure we are light years apart. And surely that must bode well.