Barnet Dominates Salford in League Two Opener
Barnet opened their League Two campaign with a statement win – and still walked off to a blast from Dean Brennan.
His side swept past Salford 3-1 at The Hive, looked in control for almost the entire afternoon, and yet the Barnet manager cut a frustrated figure after a late lapse denied them a clean sheet.
Barnet ruthless, then careless
The tone was set after 24 minutes. Oisin Gallagher, sharp and decisive, struck first to give Barnet the lead their early pressure deserved. Salford never settled. Barnet hunted in packs, moved the ball quickly, and refused to let the visitors breathe.
Before half-time, the advantage doubled. Charlie Lakin arrived to finish and put Brennan’s side firmly in command, a goal that reflected both Barnet’s energy and Salford’s uncertainty. At 2-0, the home crowd relaxed. Brennan did not.
The hosts kept driving. Kabongo Tshimanga added a third late on, a goal that underlined Barnet’s superiority and should have wrapped up a near-perfect opening day. The scoreline matched the performance. Almost.
Then came the irritation.
With the game drifting into stoppage time, Salford captain Adebola Oluwo forced the ball home to make it 3-1. The points were safe, but the mood on the touchline shifted instantly.
"It's a good start but I'm annoyed not to keep a clean sheet," Brennan said afterwards. "When it comes to the real detail, we should have won the game by four clear goals. We got three up and put in a huge performance.
"My team went mad last year for conceding silly goals and we dropped so many points in leading positions."
Salford had already hit the post late on, another warning sign Brennan did not ignore.
"I said to the players in the huddle, if players are coming off the bench, I need to trust them. They need to be reliable."
Cox impresses as Brennan eyes reinforcements
One area did please him. New goalkeeper Matthew Cox delivered the kind of debut that calms a back four and reassures a manager.
"He's a really good goalkeeper and his kicking is outstanding," Brennan said. "He's embedded into the squad really well and he's the keeper I wanted this summer."
Brennan still wants more before the window closes. The performance was strong, the scoreline emphatic, but he made it clear the squad is not yet where he wants it.
"We've still got a bit of business left to do," he admitted. "We need attacking players so I can make attacking substitutions. We haven't had enough of that and it's an area we have to address."
Salford left hurting after flat start
On the opposite bench, Peter Cklamovski could only reflect on a bruising start to Salford’s promotion push. His side were second best for long spells and only really came to life when the damage was already done.
"There is a lot of hurt and disappointment within the four walls of the changing room," he said. "It's a bad performance and that sort of performance gets you these results.
"Credit to Barnet, they turned the game into their style and we didn't handle those elements, both direct balls and second balls."
Salford did rally after the break, pushing harder and finally forcing Barnet back towards their own box. They “climbed a huge mountain”, as Cklamovski put it, but the late goal from Oluwo was consolation rather than catalyst.
"We climbed a huge mountain in the second half and pushed hard. We need to use it as fuel for next weekend and be more effective in the first half.
"We earn the right to perform better and play our football and turn words like ambition into reality.
"That wasn't a reflection of who we are and that's the heartache of it because that's not who we envisage ourselves to be."
Barnet leave with three goals, three points and a manager still demanding more. Salford leave with a reminder that ambition means little without a performance to match.
