Being at Wembley Stadium to watch my team in a cup final as an 11 year old was very very special. In 1972 the FA Trophy competition was in its infancy having been born two years previously. It was basically a revamp of the old FA Amateur Cup and Barnet had made the semi final in its first season narrowly loosing out to Macclesfield Town in the semi final stage but the run up to the final was I have to say graced with some of the finest football ever seen at Underhill. We lost of course to Stafford Rangers, frankly not turning up on the day as all the players freely admitted then and even now.
Barnet eventually finished 4th in the Southern League Premier and the question has also been in my head for all these years.....had we been knocked out in the early stages of the Trophy would we have won the League? I think we would. However would I then swop that for a day at Wembley? No.
What is even more fascinating is that the season was completed with a first team squad of just 15 regular players!
RESULTS 1971-72
| Folkstone | A | Southern Premier | Won 3-2 | 1,271 | Adams 2 Powell |
| Bath City | H | Southern Premier | Won 2-0 | 1,277 | Eason 2 |
| Merthyr Tydfil | H | Southern Premier | Won 3-0 | 1,289 | Powell Eason Adams |
| Bath City | A | Southern Premier | Lost 0-1 | 1,425 | |
| Margate | A | Southern Premier | Lost 1-2 | 1,115 | Powell Eason Adams |
| Dartford | A | Southern Premier | Won 2-1 | 1,176 | Ward (pen) Powell |
| Worcester City | H | Southern Premier | Lost 0-2 | 1,192 | |
| Dartford | H | Southern Premier | Won 4-0 | 1,040 | Embery 2 Powell Godfrey |
| Hereford United | A | Southern Premier | Lost 1-2 | 4,732 | Embery |
| Margate | H | Southern Premier | Won 5-1 | 1,192 | Adams 3 Eason 2 |
| Hillingdon Borough | H | Southern Premier | Won 4-0 | 1,532 | Powell 2 Embery Adams |
| Gravesend & Northfleet | A | Southern Premier | Won 2-0 | 605 | Powell Adams |
| Folkstone | H | Southern Premier | Won3-0 | 1,560 | Powell Plume Flatt |
| Yeovil Town | A | Southern Premier | Won 3-2 | 2,871 | Plume 2 (2 pens) Ward |
| Weymouth | H | Southern Premier | Won 1-0 | 1,281 | Lye |
| Telford United | H | Southern Premier | Drew 1-1 | 1,856 | Flatt |
| Romford | A | Southern Premier | Lost 0-3 | 2,068 | |
| Hillingdon Borough | A | Southern Premier | Drew 1-1 | 1,140 | Eason |
| Worcester City | A | Southern Premier | Won 1-0 | 980 | Flatt |
| Weymouth | A | Southern Premier | Lost 0-1 | 940 | |
| Chelmsford City | H | Southern Premier | Won 3-1 | 2,079 | Flatt Eason Adams |
| Chelmsford City | A | Southern Premier | Lost 2-5 | 3,080 | Adams Ward |
| Gravesend & Northfleet | H | Southern Premier | Won 5-1 | 1,168 | Adams 2 Powell Flatt Eason |
| Merthyr Tydfil | A | Southern Premier | Won 2-1 | 768 | Powell 2 |
| Yeovil Town | H | Southern Premier | Drew 0-0 | 1,382 | |
| Guildford City | H | Southern Premier | Won 2-1 | 1,264 | Plume Embery |
| Wimbledon | H | Southern Premier | Won 2-0 | 1,423 | Powell 2 |
| Bedford Town | H | Southern Premier | Drew 2-2 | 1,040 | Plume Adams |
| Wimbledon | A | Southern Premier | Lost 0-5 | 1,280 | |
| Dover | H | Southern Premier | Drew 1-1 | 1,990 | Adams |
| Telford United | A | Southern Premier | Lost 2-3 | 1,712 | Jenkins Adams |
| Dover | A | Southern Premier | Lost 0-1 | 1,551 | |
| Bedford Town | A | Southern Premier | Drew 1-1 | 1,048 | Flatt |
| Nuneaton Borough | H | Southern Premier | Lost 0-1 | 1,094 | |
| Romford | H | Southern Premier | Won 3-1 | 917 | Powell Flatt Eason |
| Cambridge City | A | Southern Premier | Won 4-3 | 1,491 | Adams 2 Godfrey Flatt |
| Poole Town | A | Southern Premier | Won 3-0 | 188 | Adams 2 King |
| Poole Town | H | Southern Premier | Drew 1-1 | 1,041 | Adams |
| Guildford City | A | Southern Premier | Lost 0-3 | 3,007 | |
| Nuneaton Borough | A | Southern Premier | Lost 1-2 | 1,361 | Powell |
| Hereford United | H | Southern Premier | Lost 1-2 | 1,619 | Eason |
| Cambridge City | H | Southern Premier | Won 8-3 | 747 | Adams 3 Powell 2 Plume 2 Eason |
| Leyton Orient (Orient) | H | London Challenge Cup (1) | Lost 1-2 | 1,639 | Powell |
| Gravesend & Northfleet | H | League Cup (1) 1st Leg | Won 5-1 | 1,131 | Powell 2 Eason 2 Adams |
| Gravesend & Northfleet | A | League Cup (1) 2nd Leg | Lost 0-1 | 412 | |
| Stevenage Athletic | H | League Cup (2) | Won 5-1 | 759 | Powell 2 Flatt 2 Eason |
| Ramsgate Athletic | H | League Cup (3) | Won 3-0 | 1,004 | Plume Flatt Adams |
| Bedford Town | H | League Cup (Semi Final) | Won 4-2 | 1,831 | Lye Powell Eason Plume |
| Hereford United | H | League Cup Final 1st leg | Won 2-0 | 2,803 | Plume 2 |
| Hereford United | A | League Cup Final 2nd leg | Lost 0-2 | 6,048 | |
| Hendon | A | FA Cup 4th Qualifying | Drew 2-2 | 2,591 | Embery Eason |
| Hendon | H | FA Cup 4th Qualifying ( R) | Won 2-0 | 2,622 | Eason Own Goal |
| Kettering Town | A | FA Cup (1) | Won 4-2 | 3,713 | Embery 2 Eason 2 |
| Torquay United | H | FA Cup (2) | Lost 1-4 | 4,411 | Flatt |
| Dover | A | FA Trophy (1) | Won 6-0 | 1,494 | Adams 3 Powell 2 Eason |
| Lowestoft Town | A | FA Trophy (2) | Drew 0-0 | 1,338 | |
| Lowestoft Town | H | FA Trophy (2) ( R) | Won 5-1 | 727 | Eason 2 Flatt Adams Own Goal |
| Wigan Athletic | A | FA Trophy (3) | Won 2-1 | 4,830 | Flatt 2 |
| Dartford | A | FA Trophy (4) | Won 2-0 | 2,729 | Powell Eason |
| Telford United | N | FA Trophy (Semi Final) | Won 1-0 | 4,481 | Plume (pen) |
| Stafford Rangers | N | FA Trophy Final | Lost 0-3 | 24,000 |
For that season in 63 first team matches Ben Embery appeared in 61 of them and Les Eason in 60, I also can tell you that in those 63 games 125 goals were scored with Lou Adams netting 28, Powell 27,Eason 24 and Flatt 15, an incredible goal ratio for a forward line. Finally a Picture of that squad lining up in front of the old main stand at Underhill
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