On the pitch, you have to say it was a good season for the Bees. Despite surviving on attendances only bettering Accrington and Dagenham, they finished in the top half, ending the season in twelfth place. And this done despite having to sell Liam Hatch midway through the season. The FA Cup proved to be even more successful reaching the fourth round before being knocked out by a Rickie Lambert goal at home to Bristol Rovers.

Paul Fairclough was always a manager that we allowed our snobbery to get the better of us over. We'd dismissed him countless times as being nothing more than a non league manager where the most important task is to ensure that your players are sober enough on a Saturday afternoon or not overly tired from doing their milk round that particular morning. But with so many of the League Two sides having played Conference level football over the past ten years or so, it's arguable that the differences aren't what they were in terms of the make up of the teams which is making it easier for promoted sides from the Conference to flourish in a world where half the sides are "non league" sides.

Fairclough has seemingly done an excellent job whilst with the Bees. Despite getting tipped for relegation year in year out, he has turned them into a comfortable mid table side despite being forced to sell a number of key players along the way. And all done whilst maintaining good quality football. If I had to pinpoint why he's managed it, I'd say it was down to taking advantage of the non league scene, bringing in players who were perhaps overlooked at 16 / 17 yet have shone at a lower level.

Barnet could be a surprise package for much the same reasons we've talked about for other sides. This season is ripe for someone to come out of nowhere and stake a claim in much the same way that Hereford did last season, and arguably for reasons we've covered previously, we feel it will be easier for a side to do that than last year.

They have a settled side at Underhill. I know there's been player sales but they'll go into the 2008-9 season with a very similar side to the one they finished last season with. They have the same manager, they have the same star man, and they have pretty much the same squad - so why can't they build on what they've got?

The loss of Jason Puncheon to Plymouth Argyle will be a big blow to the Bees. He made the PFA League Two team of the year, being perhaps the only surprise choice in a team where League Two footballers simply picked out as many Peterborough and MK Dons players as they could. He grabbed eleven goals from an attacking midfield position last term, and as we often talked about, players who can score goals from midfield are worth their weight in gold. £250,000 seems rather cheap for the former MK Dons player.

It does make you wonder just how long that Barnet can keep getting away with it. There has to be a line crossed, whether it be down to a failed gamble in the transfer market or a key injury. They keep over achieving but surely someday that they are going to find themselves competing with the sides that their crowds suggest are their peers.

With no realistic chances of promotion on the horizon, it's very easy to feel that you're just treading water, and whilst its a great achievement finishing where they seem to finish every year, it isn't success and its difficult for players to be motivated about a finish that reflects a better finish that teams on comparatively higher attendances.

14th - Mid table

There is so much to be admired about Barnet. They are a small club, with an even smaller fan base, yet have constantly punched above their weight since their return to the League. They play a style of football which is very pleasing on the eye, and all this has been done despite having to sell their best player seemingly every six months. Take away their Conference roots, and you could almost accuse them of being a Southern version of ourselves.

Barnet supporters could be worried about the sale of Puncheon. He was a top class player at this level, and will be sorely missed. But their supporters can have faith that he will be replaced and not missed, in much the same way that Hatch was sold back in January. This is a club that knows what it is doing.

But the worry will be how long they hold on to Adomah. It seems a matter of time before he leaves Underhill with so many suitors after him. I appreciate this completely contradicts what is put above about the sale of players, but I see it more than this constant sale of players whilst not putting the team in jeopardy, it does prevent them pushing on to the next level hence we're not tipping them for anything higher than 14th.

It's going to be the same old same old for Barnet. Some great results against some of the best sides in the division, and without doubt on the day, they're a match for anyone, but performing over a season will be too much of an ask, and they'll sit comfortably mid table looking forward to the following season from around January.