Barnet Dominate Salford in League Two Opener

Barnet opened their League Two season with a statement win, yet walked off to the sound of an irritated manager rather than a celebratory one.

Dean Brennan’s side swept Salford aside 3-1, played with authority for long stretches, scored three well-worked goals – and still earned a blast for letting the visitors off the hook at the death.

The tone was set midway through the first half. After 24 minutes, Oisin Gallagher struck to give the hosts the lead, a goal that reflected Barnet’s early control and sharpness. Salford never really settled, and the home side sensed it.

Barnet tightened their grip before the break. Charlie Lakin arrived to double the advantage, and at 2-0 by half-time, Brennan’s players looked like they had the game exactly where they wanted it. They were dominant, aggressive, and winning the physical duels that Salford simply couldn’t handle.

The pressure didn’t ease after the restart. Barnet kept driving forward and, late on, they finally buried the contest. Kabongo Tshimanga added a third in the closing stages, a goal that underlined just how rampant the hosts had been and seemed to cap an almost perfect afternoon.

Almost.

Salford captain Adebola Oluwo pulled one back in the 90th minute, a consolation on the scoreboard but a flashpoint for Brennan’s temper.

"It's a good start but I'm annoyed not to keep a clean sheet," he said, refusing to gloss over the blemish. For him, the margin mattered. "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."

The frustration ran deeper than a single goal. Last season’s bad habits are still fresh in his mind.

"My team went mad last year for conceding silly goals and we dropped so many points in leading positions," he reminded his players. 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."

One new face did escape the criticism. Brennan reserved praise for goalkeeper Matthew Cox, who impressed on his League Two bow.

"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."

Even with a convincing opening-day win, Brennan’s eye is already on the next step. He wants more depth, more threat, more options.

"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."

While Barnet left with three points and room for improvement, Salford departed with little but regret and a late goal to soften the scoreline.

Manager Peter Cklamovski did not sugarcoat what he had seen.

"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."

He acknowledged Barnet had dictated the terms of the contest.

"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 at least show some fight after the break. They chased, pressed, and tried to claw their way back.

"We climbed a huge mountain in the second half and pushed hard," Cklamovski said. That effort, though, only highlighted how poor they had been earlier. "We need to use it as fuel for next weekend and be more effective in the first half."

For a club talking about promotion, this was a jolt.

"We earn the right to perform better and play our football and turn words like ambition into reality," he insisted. "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 walk away with momentum and a manager demanding more. Salford leave with a warning that ambition without edge will not be enough in this division.