Barnet Flying The Flag As Captain Cal Wants Even More!

The 13-time winners Arsenal waved goodbye on Friday, while Sunday was far from super for Tottenham Hotspur at Crystal Palace.

Good job then that Barnet seem to have the competition mastered this season.

The Bees are keeping the flag flying. On Monday their big day finally arrives and Brentford are next in the firing line for Darren Currie’s team in front of the BT Sport cameras.

Training and analysis of course are all-important in the build up to any tie, but so is taking a little inspiration.

Defender Callum Reynolds said: “It’s really different playing on the Monday but there’s two big positives to it - I’ve been able to watch plenty of football and we’re in the draw for the fifth round!

“Saturday was great for upsets and it’s added to our belief. I watched Millwall beat Everton on then a few hours later another great one, what can you say about Wimbledon beating West Ham?

“It’s given us really hope. They went into that game after a really bad result and we go into Monday night having lost 4-0 at Braintree.

“This is different. It’s an escape from the league, a real break. On Sunday Spurs went out too so we’re really representing north London as well as the National League now!

“We just can’t wait for it to come around now. We believe we’ve got a chance.”

Not that Reynolds, the former Aldershot Town, Corby and Luton player, exactly has a love affair with the FA Cup.

“We’re playing for the chance to get into the fifth round on Monday but before this season I had never been past the first round!” he told us.

“That was for Boreham Wood. We held Cardiff City to a draw and went up there and were knocked out.

“I’ve always wanted a run like this. The thing about the FA Cup is that there’s nothing quite like it and because it is watched and loved all over the world you know one big result can put you on back pages here and that you are news in so many countries.

“We had all that after Sheffield United. It felt like we had just won a championship. I’ve been lucky to win one of those and so many people go through their careers not having done that.

“We had a good night out after that - and unlike when I won the league I actually went home and didn’t go missing for a few days!”

Perhaps Barnet knew something special was happening early into their run.

“We’ve had a great journey but I think the replay win at Bristol Rovers is really the moment we started to think it was becoming something,” he added.

“We came from behind to win 2-1 after drawing at our place. But we only got to Bristol Rovers’ ground 20 minutes before kick-off!

“Even the traffic couldn’t hold us back, so we’ve got no fears at all. Brentford are a top club but we have already shown we’re a match for anyone.”