Kandol lights the way to Wembley

Two recent Barnet old boys have been involved in the League 1 Play-Offs which concluded tonight, Tresor Kandol and Nicky Bailey who were part of the Leeds and Southend teams which suffered vastly different fates over the two legs – Leeds going through with a last minute winner at Carlisle but Southend crashing out 5-1 at Doncaster’s Keepmoat Stadium.

On a personal level, however, Bailey fared better starting both games in central midfield for the Shrimpers and playing solidly in the first leg while scoring a close range consolation in the dying minutes of the second leg.

Kandol was on the bench for both games, as he has been for much of the season at Elland Road but made a big difference when coming on in the 1st leg. His aerial prowess gave Leeds a target for long balls into the box and it was his presence that created the space for an even older ex-Bee in Dougie Freedman to scramble the crucial 96th minute goal which gave Leeds a chance going into the second leg. While Tresor did not make it off the bench in this match, Dougie kept the Bees flag flying high by setting up both goals to send Leeds to the Play-Off final.

The presence of these players has added interest to these matches for Barnet fans and has showcased Barnet’s ability throughout the past decade or so to bring through and sell on talent.

In the League 2 version, look out for former Barnet favourite Scott McGleish as he looks to make up for 2 play-off losses with the Bees by sending the Chairboys of Wycombe into League 1.