It’s safe to say Dover Athletic, and in particular former Whites man Ricky Modeste, have a special place in Barnet supporters hearts.

In the penultimate round of matches in the 2014/15 Conference season, Barnet were all square at Kidderminster thanks to a Luisma Villa goal. Meanwhile in Kent, title rivals Bristol Rovers were leading at Dover and looked set to reach the summit of the league with one game left to play.

That was, until, Ricky Modeste bundled the ball over the line in the 89th minute and the chance for a third Conference title was back in Barnet’s control. The rest, as they say, is history.

A band of Barnet supporters would go on to sponsor Modeste for the following season. The Grenada international can now be seen playing for Billericay Town.

Hat-trick…

Following a positive Bank Holiday Weekend which saw maximum points picked up against Chesterfield and Dagenham, Barnet are aiming for their third win in a row when they travel to South-East Kent on Saturday.

This feat has only been managed twice in the previous two seasons. As Barnet battled to survive last season, they picked up three wins in their final three games against Newport, Morecambe and Chesterfield.

The last hat-trick before that came in the Autumn of 2016 when wins against Plymouth, Notts County and Yeovil saw the Bees climb to the edge of the play-off places.

Defending Dover…

Dover is a town famous for its great military defences. However, the football team will be looking to improve their current defensive record when the Bees come to town on Saturday. The Whites have conceded the most goals in the division in their opening 7 games, 17 in total.

The Bees have never scored less than 2 goals a game against Dover since the turn of the millennium and will be aiming for a similar outcome this weekend.

Crabble…

Dover play their home games in one of the most unique settings in English football and it is considered a must visit for groundhoppers. Football has been played at the Crabble Athletic Ground since 1897. The move to the current ‘Upper Pitch’ came in 1951, the year the present main stand opened. Terracing accompanies this on both ends with a modern Family Stand running halfway down one side. Cut into the side of a river valley, the Crabble is certainly one of the more picturesque venues in the game.

Barnet take on Dover Athletic at the Crabble Athletic Ground this Saturday, 1st September at 3pm. Live commentary with Harry Salvidge and Aarron Pullen will be available on iBarnet.

If you are heading to the game, be sure to read the Reckless Guide which has all the ticketing information.

Barnet will come up against Martin Allen for the first time after he took over the reins at Chesterfield in the summer. Allen sparked a resurgence at The Hive when he returned for a fifth time in mid-March with the club seven points from safety with eight games remaining. We would eventually narrowly miss out on League Two survival by just one point or four goals.

Assistant Adrian Whitbread and Coach Carl Muggleton both joined Allen at the Proact Stadium. Adrian has recently suffered a health scare and everyone at Barnet FC is pleased to hear he is on the mend a wish him a very speedy and full recovery.

Preparing for the weapon…

Sam Muggleton signed a one-year contract for Chesterfield on the 31st July and, if he features, it will be the first time that Barnet have faced his trademark long throw (or weapon) since his departure from The Hive London in early 2017 after he made 68 appearances for the club and picked up a Conference winners medal.

Muggleton moved to Eastleigh but his stay at the Silverlake Stadium would only be until the end of the season as he then signed for York City. Loan spells at Boston United and Scarborough Athletic followed before reuniting with Allen this summer.

Skippers…

Former Bees Curtis Weston and Michael Nelson are both on the books at the Proact having made the switch up the M1 on the expiry of their contracts this summer. Weston made 228 appearances, many of which as captain for the club, over 6 seasons and was one of our Champions in 2014/15. Nelson made 104 appearances for Barnet across 3 seasons after joining from Cambridge united in 2015. He was our Under 23’s coach last campaign as he began preparations for the next steps in his career. ‘The Admiral’ was club captain for both the 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons.

Winning ways…

Barnet remain in search of their first win of the season when they head to Derbyshire on Saturday. Coincidentally, the Bees most recent competitive victory came in the last meeting between these two sides on the final day of the Sky Bet League Two season in May. Goals from John Akinde, Richard Brindley and Alex Nicholls secured a 3-0 win but this was not enough as Coventry and Morecambe drew 0-0 at the Ricoh Arena meaning the Shrimps remained in the EFL.

Chesterfield’s first season outside of the Football League in almost century has seen them pick up three wins and two defeats in their opening five matches and they currently sit ninth in the table.

Barnet take on Chesterfield at the Proact Stadium this Saturday, 25th August at 3pm. Live commentary with Jonathan Blakie and Aarron Pullen will be available on iBarnet.

If you are heading to the game, be sure to read the Reckless Guide and check out all the ticketing information.