Month: Mar 2019

Saturday Roundup

National League

BARNET 0 Leyton Orient 0

The Bees kept a fifth consecutive clean sheet for the first time in 17 and boss Darren Currie will feel his team should have toppled the league leaders. In a game of few chances Barnet had the best opportunities former Bees keeper Dean Brill saving from Dave Tarpey and Wes Fonguck in the first half while Medy Elito hit the post in the second. Josh Coulson’s header hooked off the line by Elliott Johnson was the closest the visitors came to breaking the deadlock. The only concern for Currie was the sight of both Andre Boucard and Dan Sweeney being forced off with injury. Sweeney was replaced by Ricardo Santos making his first appearance of the season.

Bees: Cousins, Alexander (Robson), Johnson, Reynolds, Sweeney (Santos), Boucard (Elito), H.Taylor, Tarpey, Mason-Clark, Coulthirst, Fonguck,

Attendance: 3648

HRB Sport Man of the Match: Callum Reynolds

League Position: 16th

Bostik League Premier

POTTERS BAR TOWN 2 Folkestone Invicta 2

The Scholars final minutes jinx struck again at The Pakex as they threw away a two goal lead with only three minutes remaining. Barnet loanee Nana Kyei scored on his debut before Bradley Sach looked to have sealed a much needed win 10 minutes from time. The home side though were rocked by two goals in as many minutes from Ira Jackson and Adam Yusuff.

Attendance: 192

League Position: 18th

WINGATE & FINCHLEY 0 Bognor Regis Town 2

A frustrating afternoon for David Norman’s team who’s good recent run came to an end thanks to a double from Mason Walsh. The home side struggled to impose themselves after having Donovan Makoma sent off after only 24 minutes.

Attendance: 126

League Position: 19th

Evo Stik League Premier South

Poole Town 0 HENDON 2

Goals in the final 12 minutes from Ryan Hope and Ogo Obi were enough to give the Greens the points easing their relegation fears.

Attendance: 595

League Position: 15th

Spartan South Midlands League Premier

EDGWARE TOWN 2 Potton United 2

League Position: 12th

HADLEY 2 Crawley Green 1

Goals from Alfie Bartram and Rob Laney took the Bricks level on points with leaders Tring Athletic who were beaten 1-0 at Colney Heath.

League Position: 2nd

HRB Sport prepares for Summertime Showdown

As we approach British Summer Time, things are looking somewhat sunnier for our teams caught up in a survival battle.  There are still a number of potential contenders for a central role in the final shakeup though and so plenty of twists and turns are likely over the coming month or so.
Barnet are drawing close to safety after another impressive week. A heartening draw at high flying Salford was followed by a further 3 points against Aldershot, who had won at neighbours Boreham Wood last weekend. Ephron Mason-Clark put the Bees ahead shortly after the interval heading in an Elliott Johnson cross and after a Shots equaliser was ruled out for offside Shaq Coulthirst wrapped up the victory 5 minutes from time following a swift counter attack. Boss Darren Currie has now seen his team keep a clean sheet for 4 matches during a run of 5 games unbeaten.
The win coupled with Havant and Waterlooville’s loss at Maidenhead creates a healthy 11 point gap between Barnet and the bottom four.
Midfielder Nana Kyei has moved on loan to Potters Bar for the remainder of the season and striker Mo Bettemer will play at National side Woking in a similar arrangement.
Boreham Wood put the disappointment of last Saturday behind them in securing another important point against second place Solihull Moors. Idris Kanu scored a late equaliser to deny the visitors a victory that would have seen them draw level on points with leaders Leyton Orient. Nathan Blissett put Moors ahead early on but Ralston Gabriel pulled the hosts back into the game on 26 minutes after a David Stephens header was cleared off the line.
Adi Yussuf’s tap in 20 minutes from time restored the Midlands club’s advantage, only for Kanu to salvage a point with 2 minutes remaining.
Wood drop to 20th but have a relatively comfortable 7 point cushion.
After last weekend’s 6 goal thriller at the Maurice Rebak Stadium, which saw the Blues climb out of the relegation zone at the expense of the Scholars, Wingate and Finchley and Potters Bar have a 4 and 3 point advantage respectively over the bottom 3. Both have important home games against mid table teams.
Hendon are similarly 4 points clear in their race to avoid the drop, but have a potentially tricky visit to promotion chasing Poole. Boss James Gray has strengthened his squad for the run-in by re-signing Junior Osborne from Chesham United. Goalkeeper Chris Grace has also joined the Greens on dual registration from Bracknell Town and goes straight into the squad for today’s match. Howard Hall has signed for the Scholars to get more game time.
At the other end of the spectrum, Hadley go into the final 6 rounds only 3 points off top spot. They’ll be hoping local rivals Colney Heath can dent Tring’s winning run
while defeating mid table Crawley Green.
Saracens are looking to reach the European Cup semi finals for the seventh time as they welcome Glasgow Warriors back to Allianz Arena. The teams met in the group stages with the Men in Black winning both rounds. England captain Owen Farrell returns at fly half while George Kruis takes his place in the second row.
Apart from Barnet Press Office Aarron Pullen’s broadcasting debut on HRB Sport from the Salford game, we are delighted to welcome Ben Nothman to the team. Ben joined Nick in the studio last Sunday and we wish him a long and rewarding experience helping us convey the drama and excitement of local sport.
Coming up on HRB Sport………..
Saturday March 30th
2.30 – 6.30
Presenter: Mel

National League
Barnet v Leyton Orient 
Pete

 
Barrow v Boreham Wood 
Bostik Premier Division
Potters Bar Town v Folkestone Invicta
Alan

Wingate & Finchley v Bognor Regis Town

Paul

Evo-Stik Southern Premier South
Poole v Hendon
David

Spartan South Midlands Premier

Hadley v Crawley Green
Edgware Town v Potton United 
European Champions Cup Quarter Final
Saracens v Glasgow Warriors (3.15)

Harry’s Map…. Barnet v Leyton Orient…. The Preview

It’s been 379 minutes since the Bees have conceded a goal in a run of five undefeated matches. Leyton Orient have won their last eight games in all competitions. Something has got to give.

Tuesday’s win against Aldershot virtually assures another season in the National League so Head Coach Darren Currie can concentrate on assessing his squad before the summer. That’s not to say that the boss won’t want to continue his teams impressive run but with a visit to play off contenders Eastleigh on Tuesday night he might be tempted to rotate his squad against the league leaders. One player who won’t be involved is striker Mo Bettamer who’s joined Welling United on loan, while the medical team will have to assess Harry Taylor’s dislocated fingers.

The O’s have the leagues best away defence second best away attack and in striker Macauley Bonne one of non leagues top strikers. Manager Justin Edinburgh has won 42 of his 73 games in charge and looks set to return the East London outfit to the Football League.

Leyton Orient beat the Bees 3-1 at Brisbane Road earlier in the season with Wes Fonguck on target for the visitors. The only meeting between the two at The Hive was a tepid 0-0 draw in October 2016. Hopefully with one of the biggest crowds of the season the action will be more memorable tomorrow.

We’ll have live commentary from Pete Hill at The Hive in HRB Saturday Sport.

Leyton Orient Fact: Harry Beck creator of the iconic London Tube Map was born in Leyton

Saturday Roundup

National League

Salford City 0 BARNET 0

The Bees have now gone 289 minutes without conceding a goal after another solid display in Salford. Barnet are now eight points clear of the bottom four with two games in hand.

Bees: Cousins, Reynolds, Alexander, Johnson, H.Taylor, Boucard, Sparkes, Sweeney, Tarpey ( Fonguck), Mason-Clark (Akinola), Coulthirst, Robson,

Attendance: 2452

League Position: 17th

Bostik League Premier

WINGATE & FINCHLEY 4 POTTERS BAR TOWN 2

The Blues pulled themselves out of the relegation zone thanks to their second straight victory. A Donovan Makoma goal and a Sean Cronin penalty took the home side into a 2-0 lead inside 15 minutes. Scholars Darnell Wynter reduced the deficit before half time. Anthony Mendy stretched Wingate lead after 70 minutes Bradley Sach giving Potters Bar hope eight minutes later before Charlie Ruff wrapped up the points for Dave Norman’s team right on time leaving Potters Bar looking nervously over their shoulders.

Attendance: 152

League Positions: Wingate & Finchley 19th Potters Bar 18th

Evo Stik League Premier

HENDON 0 Hartley Wintney 2

Goals from Mitchell Parker and Michael Campbell completed a disappointing afternoon for Hendon who finished the match with nine men after keeper Andrew McCorkell and substitute Matty Harriot red carded.

Attendance: 275

League Position: 17th

Spartan South Midlands League Premier

Crawley Green 1 EDGWARE TOWN 2

League Position: 12th

London Tigers 1 HADLEY 3

The Bricks kept up the pressure on league leaders Tring Athletic thanks to goals from Manny Hammond, Ned Clarke and Bradley Marriott.

League Position: 2nd

London Tigers 1 HADLEY 3

New Voices on HRB Sport as escape routes beckon

HRB Sport  is always delighted to welcome new participants, and so it is particularly noteworthy that Barnet FC Press Officer Aarron Pullen will be making his debut on the airwaves today. Aarron has kindly offered to file reports on Barnet’s visit to Salford.
We’ll have up to the minute news of all our local teams including the relegation scrap at Wingate & Finchley.
On this double header weekend with shows both Saturday and Sunday, Nick also hopes to be joined by a new recruit to the team.
The Bees secured a much needed victory this week in their quest to avoid becoming embroiled in a relegation scrap. After failing to put away mid table sides, their ability to defeat higher ranked teams came to the fore when Dave Tarpey scored his first goal for the club against top six Harrogate. Shaq Coulthirst started the move, finding Ephraim Mason-Clarke whose pass to Tarpey was clinically despatched. Barnet had chances to increase their lead and crucially held on for only their second win in 2019 which increases the advantage over the bottom four to 7 points.
Coming up on HRB Sport………..
Saturday March 23rd
2.30 – 6.30
Presenter: Mel

National League
Salford City v Barnet 
Aarron

 
Boreham Wood v Aldershot Town
Bostik Premier Division
Wingate & Finchley v Potters Bar Town
Paul/Alan

Evo-Stik Southern Premier South
Hendon v Hartley Wintney

David

Spartan South Midlands Premier

London Tigers v Hadley
Crawley Green v Edgware Town 
Gallagher Premiership
Saracens v Harlequins
Sunday March 24th
5.00 – 7.00
Presenter: Nick
Betfred Super League
London Broncos v Hull FC
David
Betfred League One
Oldham v London Skolars

Saturday Roundup

National League

BARNET 0 Hartlepool United 0

Another frustrating afternoon for Barnet boss Darren Currie after the Bees dominated possession and produced enough chances to have secured victory. Blustery conditions made it difficult for both sides and it was a credit to them that they managed to produce an entertaining encounter. Barnet had the best of the chances Dan Sweeney and Shaq Coulthirst both hitting the woodwork in the first half. The Monkey Hangers only real effort producing an excellent save from Marc Cousins who pushed Fraser Kerr’s goal-bound effort over the cross bar. The second half took on a similar pattern Coulthirst somehow conspiring to miss from 6 yards out after good work by Mason-Clark and Fonguck while Dave Tarpey had his powerful header cleared off the line. There were two late penalty appeals the first when the ball seemed to deflect onto James hand on the edge of the box the second when Simeone Akinola looked to be pulled down with five minutes left, instead of pointing to the spot the referee booked the Bees substitute for diving.

Bees: Cousins, Alexander, Johnson, Reynolds, Sweeney, Fonguck, H.Taylor, Boucard, Mason-Clark ( Akinola), Coulthirst (Barham), Tarpey,

Attendance: 1269

HRBSport Man of the Match: Andre Boucard

League Position: 20th

Bostik League Premier

Harlow Town 2 WINGATE & FINCHLEY 7

The Blues gave their survival hopes a major boost producing their biggest win of the season. In a remarkable first half David Norman’s team were 4-0 up in 20 minutes thanks to two goals a piece from Sean Cronin and Anthony Mendy. Reece Beckles-Richards added a fifth before Matthew Foy converted a penalty for the Hawks right on half time. Charlie Cole added number six after 67 minutes before Emile Aqcuah scored a consolation for the home side two minutes later. Sean Cronin completing his hat trick three minutes from time to end a memorable afternoon for the travelling fans.

Attendance: 149

League Position: 20th

POTTERS BAR TOWN 0 Hornchurch 1

The Scholars poor run at The Pakex continued after a 79th minute goal from Sean Marks condemned Potters Bar to their eighth home defeat in their last nine matches.

Attendance: 212

League Position: 17th

Evo Stik League Premier South

Staines Town 2 HENDON 5

The Greens eased their relegation fears with a comfortable victory over bottom club Staines. A brace from Connor Calcutt and strikes from Luke Tingey, Shaquille Hippolyte-Patrick, and Matty Harriott took the visitors into a 5-0 lead inside 55 minutes. Late strikes from Andy Juergen and Lewis Lavender failing to take the shine off an excellent away day.

Attendance: 149

League Position: 16th

Spartan South Midlands Premier

Colney Heath 2 EDGWARE TOWN 0

League Position: 12th

Attendance:

HRB Sport Live from The Hive…….

HRB Sport is back on air shortly to capture all the drama and excitement of the key issues affecting our local teams.
The weekend began with another remarkable achievement from the trail blazing London Broncos who added to their upset of Wigan by defeating Leeds Rhinos 18-16. This result was even more praiseworthy given that it occurred at the home of the former Super League Champions.
Dominating the game from the start, the visitors raced into an 8-0 lead through a Kieran Dixon goal and Jay Pitts’ converted try.
The inevitable comeback materialised after half time and trailing 16-8 few Londoners would have expected the late twist.
Matty Fozard and Will Lovell both went over to tie the scores, and the match was sealed by Dixon’s late goal to consign the hosts to their 4st straight defeat.
Broncos’ 3rd win of the season lifts them into 7th place.
Barnet had expected to alleviate their relegation worries in the return fixture against Halifax on Tuesday night. Wes Fonguck opened the scoring on 23 minutes and three points appeared secure until Devante Rodney, the Bees nemesis in the first game, levelled the match with 20 minutes to go. Havant & Waterlooville’s victory the same night reduced the gap between the teams to three points.
Coming up on HRB Sport………..
Saturday March 16th
2.30 – 6.30
Presenter: Mel

National League
Barnet v Hartlepool United
Garry and Pete

 
Ebbsfleet v Boreham Wood 
Bostik Premier Division
Potters Bar Town v AFC Hornchurch
Alan

Harlow Town v Wingate & Finchley
Paul

Evo-Stik Southern Premier South
Staines Town v Hendon

David

Spartan South Midlands Premier

Colney Heath v Edgware Town 
Betfred League One
London Skolars v Keighley Cougars

Let’s All Go Bananas….. Barnet v Hartlepool….The Preview

The Bees face the second in a run of three home matches when Hartlepool visit The Hive. Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Halifax was another frustrating experience for Darren Curries team after Wes Fonguck had given them a first half lead. Defensive frailties let Halifax back into the game leaving Barnet just three points above the drop zone. The Head Coach might look to rotate his squad against the Monkey Hangers with the visit of Harrogate coming up on Tuesday. He will have top scorer Shaq Coulthirst available again after serving a one match ban it’s also hoped that Craig Robson will have recovered from the illness which saw him miss the last two games.

Hartlepool are 13th in the table and have won six times on the road. Their recent form has been patchy winning just one of their last five and going down 4-2 at AFC Fylde on Tuesday night. Earlier in the season a double from Manny Duku along with a Josh Walker strike gave Barnet a 3-1 win at Victoria Park.

With Dover and Havant & Waterlooville both at home it’s another vital afternoon for the Bees who still have games in hand on all their rivals but have only won 1 of their last 9 in the league.

As usual our commentary team of Garry Lakin and Pete Hill will be at the Hive to describe all the action on another edition of HRB Saturday Sport.

Hartlepool Fact: In 2002 Hartlepool mascot H’Angus the Monkey stood for town Mayor and won. He was re-elected in 2006 with an increased majority.