“You could say it’s been a bit of an on-off relationship”, says Martin Allen of his complex history with Barnet FC and the club’s chairman, Tony Kleanthous. “We get on well and we’ve had some great times. Sometimes he dumps me and sometimes I dump him but we always end up getting back together.”
Barnet supporters are hoping that neither will feel the need for another dramatic parting on Saturday, when Allen’s fourth spell in charge of the north London club can be crowned with the Conference title. After last Saturday’s penultimate matches, however, nobody is taking anything for granted in what has developed into a marathon tussle with Bristol Rovers for the sole automatic promotion place.
Having led the division for all but a few weeks since August, Allen’s side needed a late equaliser at Kidderminster and an even later Dover equaliser against Rovers, to stay on top last Saturday as both games ended 1-1. Barnet’s one-point lead was preserved, they have a far better goal difference and there is only one game to go as this Saturday Barnet are at home to mid-table Gateshead and Rovers host relegation-threatened Alfreton.
“I am a bit more used to relegation battles on the last day,” admits Allen, the 49-year-old former Queens Park Rangers and West Ham midfielder, who began his managerial career at Barnet in 2003 – and who named his team for the decider on Thursday afternoon. “I’ve done it with Barnet, with Brentford, with Notts County. I suppose I’m a bit of a Red Adair for saving clubs; people call me when they are in trouble.”
Kleanthous did just that in 2011 when Allen returned for a second spell in charge to kickstart a seemingly impossible relegation escape from League Two but then left three games later to join Notts County. “I went for the money, for the security,” says Allen. “With hindsight I regret it.” He was back at Underhill again in 2012, kept them in the league with a last-day victory over Burton but then moved on to join Gillingham, whom he led to the League Two title a year later while Barnet were slipping out of the league as well as leaving their home of more than 100 years, Underhill, under the incongruous reign of Edgar Davids. Just over a year ago, Davids departed and Allen was back in Barnet’s plush new surroundings of the Hive – and now the Bees are buzzing again.
Rovers, however, have proved stubborn rivals. After a slow start to non-league life, an astonishing run has featured only one defeat in 28 league games stretching back to October to maintain hopes of going straight back up after the trauma of their loss of league status a year ago.
Their final-day experience last May should serve as a warning to both clubs. A draw at home to Mansfield Town would have been enough to secure Rovers’ league status, which they had held since 1920. However, they succumbed to a desperate 1-0 defeat while their rivals Wycombe and Northampton won comfortably and the Pirates were improbably scuttled, dropping into the Conference for the first time, agonisingly on goal difference.
“It was a terrible day for all of us and I felt for the supporters but, to be honest, we weren’t a good enough side to stay in League Two last year,” says the Rovers manager, 37-year-old Darrell Clarke, who had taken the reins with eight games to go. “We’ve turned the club on its head since then. We’ve had massive cuts to put up with after dropping out of the league; I think I’ve given 19 players their debuts this season.
“Bristol Rovers is a big club with a great history and we want to be back in the league but there’s a lot of clubs in this division who can say that. We were all down last week after letting in that late goal at Dover but we’re back up for it now. If we’d both won last week, we’d be in the same situation as now. If it’s the play-offs then it’s the play-offs and we get ready for them but there’s still a chance of the title. We need to win and hope they don’t. It’s Barnet’s to lose but anything can happen.”
Perhaps remembering last year, Clark is quick to dismiss the notion that a Gateshead side who ostensibly have little but pride to play for will not put up a fight and will allow Barnet an easy last-day ride to the title.
“Gateshead are a very good team with a very good manager in Gary Mills and they won’t want to end their season on a low,” he says. “Alfreton, who we play, are fighting to stay up, so of course they will give it everything. There’s always something to play for, no teams just give up.
“You can’t not know how Barnet are getting on. We had 2,500 telling us the score last week at Dover and there’ll be 11,500 doing it on Saturday. Of course we’ll know and the players will know but we know we have to win our game to have a chance – that’s all we can do.
“We want to give the fans a good day on Saturday. They’ve been incredibly loyal this season, followed us everywhere and hopefully we’ve given them a good season, and put a bit of pride back in the club.
“If we hadn’t taken five points from the first five games I’d already have my flip-flops on now and we’d be up but there was massive change to deal with over the summer, and we had to deal with it with a lot of new players. Whatever happens next, I’m proud of the season we’ve had.”
