MATCH PREVIEW | WEALDSTONE

The Bees are back at The Hive Stadium this Saturday (12:30pm) for an early afternoon kick off against Wealdstone in the Vanarama National League.

Barnet FC:

Barnet’s impressive unbeaten run in the Vanarama National League came to a halt with a 2-1 defeat away to Braintree Town.

The Bees started the game on the front foot, dictating possession and creating early chances.

Myles Kenlock and Harry Chapman linked up well down the left flank, while Braintree looked dangerous on the counter, especially through the lively Lisbie brothers Kyrell on the left and Kyreece on the right.

Barnet had the first real scare when Kyreece Lisbie unleashed a powerful volley from outside the box, forcing a superb diving save from Owen Evans to keep the scores level.

After a clearance from the Bees defence, Dom Telford picked up the ball near the halfway line and played a smart pass to Ryan Glover.

Glover’s vision split the Braintree defence and found Callum Stead, who calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner to make it 1-0.

Braintree weren’t behind for long. Just minutes before the break, Kyrell Lisbie cut inside and fired a pinpoint shot into the top right corner, levelling the score just before the break.

Barnet came agonisingly close to restoring their lead when Rhys Browne burst into Braintree’s half and slipped a pass through to Stead, but his low shot was saved by Gray and then scrambled off the line by the retreating defence.

The game’s decisive moment came late on when Braintree forward John Akinde was brought down in the box by Joe Grimwood, who was shown a straight red card.

Akinde stepped up and converted the penalty despite Evans guessing the right way.

Barnet pushed for a late equaliser with ten men but couldn’t find a breakthrough. The final whistle confirmed a 2-1 win for Braintree and ended Barnet’s unbeaten league run, which had stretched back to October.

Barnet’s last five results:

Braintree Town 2-1 Barnet FC

Barnet FC 3-1 Gateshead

Altrincham 0-1 Barnet FC

Woking 0-1 Barnet FC

Barnet FC 1-0 Dagenham & Redbridge

From the dugout:

Connor Smith’s pre-match interview can be viewed HERE!

Wealdstone:

Alex Reid’s brace helped Wealdstone come from behind to beat Forest Green Rovers 2–1, pushing the Stones further from the relegation zone.

Forest Green dominated early, with Jordon Garrick opening the scoring in the 19th minute after a strong run down the left.

They had already come close through efforts from Kyle McAllister, Christian Doidge, and Adam May, who struck the woodwork with a free kick.

Wealdstone weathered the early pressure and responded just before half-time. A handball in the box gave them a penalty, and Reid calmly slotted it past Ted Cann to level the score.

Rovers pushed for a second but were denied by some solid goalkeeping from Marcus Dewhurst and wasteful finishing.

Wealdstone gradually grew into the game and looked dangerous on the break.

Their persistence paid off in the 82nd minute, when Reid latched onto a through ball and dinked it over Cann for his 16th league goal of the season, sealing all three points for the visitors.

Wealdstone’s last five results:

Wealdstone 2-1 Forest Green Rovers

Wealdstone 1-0 Boston United

York City 3-0 Wealdstone

Altrincham 0-1 Wealdstone

Wealdstone 3-3 Eastleigh

In the opposition dugout:

Stones manager Neil Gibson will be in the dugout for the away side this Saturday with his assistant Lee Jones alongside him.

Neil Gibson was appointed as Wealdstone FC’s manager in January 2025, following Matt Taylor’s departure to Solihull Moors at the start of the year.

Through some impressive results, the club look to climb higher up the table, avoiding a drop back into the relegation zone.

Ones to watch:

Wealdstone forward Alex Reid is the clubs current top goal score so far this season, scoring 16 goals in the league.

He has made 30 league appearances for The Stones and is currently averaging a goal every 151 minutes this season.

Last time these two sides met:

Barnet earned a 3-0 victory last time out over Wealdstone, with a dominant second-half performance.

The first half saw few chances, with Wealdstone’s Micah Obiero shooting wide in the 4th minute and Barnet’s Harry Chapman having a chance saved by goalkeeper Sam Howes after a brilliant run.

Barnet also threatened from a free kick and corner, but neither team could break the deadlock before halftime.

In the 59th minute, Barnet took the lead with a penalty after Harry Chapman was fouled in the box by Wealdstone’s Kallum Cesay.

Mark Shelton calmly converted, sending Howes the wrong way to make it 1-0.

Barnet doubled their advantage in the 65th minute when a corner from Ben Coker led to a scramble in the box, and Callum Stead poked home from close range to make it 2-0.

Wealdstone came close in the 73rd minute when Callum McFarlane’s header hit the post and rebounded off goalkeeper Nick Hayes.

Barnet sealed the win in the 90th minute when Nicke Kabamba, returning from injury, controlled the ball inside the box and calmly placed it past Howes to make it 3-0.

The Bees will be eager to get back to winning ways this Saturday, as well as adding three more points to the table and further extending their spot at the top.