By Nathan Jackson
August 4 2008

Barnet FC have been generally successful in their life as a football club, very rarely getting relegated. Many Championships and cup wins have propelled them into the Football League, but it's not quite been a smooth ride ever since, including a highly controversial financial difficulty in the 90s. Barnet FC formed in 1888 after previously being known as Woodville FC and New Barnet FC. The club became founder members of the North London League in 1892/3 but it wasn't long before they left and joined the North Middlesex League Division 2, finishing as runners up in 1894/5 and winning promotion to Division One. They again finished as runners up and were promoted to the Premier Division, winning that in 1896/7. This promoted them to the London League Division Two, of which Barnet became Champions in the 1897/8 season and spent the next three seasons in the London League Division One before the league went bust in 1901/2.

Several name changes later and Barnet were under the name of Barnet Alston and played their first competitive match against Crystal Palace in 1907, emerging as 1-0 winners. Merging with the Barnet Avenue side, they destroyed the Athenian League under the name of Barnet an Alston FC before returning to the name of Barnet FC after the first World War.

The club continue to spend the net 46 years in the Athenian League, this was due to the refusal of the club to turn professional. Their first success in this division came in 1930/1 when they gained their first title win in the division. However, their next success wasn't until after World War II. In the first two seasons after the war, they won the League twice, the FA Amateur Cup and the London Senior Cup.

Barnet turned semi-professional in 1965/6 and won their first game 10-1 against Hinckley Athletic.  They finished as champions of Southern League Division 1 and were promoted to the Southern League Premier, finishing fifth. In 1969/70 the club equalled an FA Cup record by beating Newport County 6-1, to this day one of the biggest ever wins by a non-league side over a League side.

The first relegation in the club's history came in 1975 when they found themselves demoted to the Southern League Division One South, they returned to the Southern League Premier two seasons later after winning the title. They were soon gifted a place in the Alliance Premier League and it was bad times for the club, often facing relegation before the appointment of Barry Fry in 1986.

Barry Fry turned the club around, saving them from relegation and the club finished as runners up in the Conference two seasons in a row, once to Scarborough and the other to Lincoln City. Another runners-up placing followed in 1989/90 to Darlington  before the club were finally promoted to the Fourth Division, beating Fisher Athletic in the final game of the season to take the title.

Barnet's first season in the League was certainly goal-filled, beating Lincoln City 6-0, losing 7-4 to Crewe and drawing 5-5 at Brentford, you certainly couldn't call them boring. They faced Blackpool in the end of season Playoffs but lost on aggregate. Hen the financial problems started. Stan Flashman (the chairman at the time) hit back page headlines throughout the country due to his dodgy dealings. Despite this, Barnet still finished third in the newly renamed Division 3 an won promotion to Division 2.

Barry Fry left and the club barely survived a vote of expulsion from the Football League. However, the vast majority of their side had their contracts nullified by a tribunal and it was little surprise when the club were eventually relegated at the end of the 1993/4 season.

Several midtable finishes were followed by two Playoff appearances, losing in the semi finals both times, once to Colchester United and the other to Peterborough United. However, a strange decision to appoint Tony Cottee as manager in 2000/1 saw the club fall from a place just inside the Playoffs into the only relegation spot. They had to win on the final day against Torquay, the losers would be relegated. Barnet lost.

Barnet struggled in the Conference at first but reached the 2003/4 Playoffs, losing out to eventually promoted Shrewsbury Town on penalties in the second leg of the semi-finals. However, Barnet fully recovered a year later and won the Conference with an impressive 86 points.

2005/6 started well for Barnet and they were leading the League for the first few weeks, but a heavy defeat at Manchester United in the League cup signalled a turn around in from. Barnet quickly fell down the division but never really looked like going down and that has been near enough the story ever since.