WIFC welcome their visitors from across Hertfordshire to the Met Police Sports Club this Saturday morning for an IFA League fixture. While preparations for next weekend’s London Cup Final with West Ham continue at a pace, this game is the home side’s 19th of the season, one short of the 20 mark which constitutes a full season for teams in the IFA League.
Barnet are one of two other Herts teams in the IFA and games between the two teams stretch back almost as long as WIFC have been around. The first meeting was way back in November 1997 when Watford made the short trip for an FA Cup first round tie. The fans teams took to the Underhill turf for a half-time penalty shoot-out following the match in the morning, which WIFC had won 7-1.
It took almost ten years for Barnet to appear as a regular opposition, when the current team led by John Hunt joined the IFA. Goals from Paul Watt and Richard Murphy gave WIFC a 2-1 win in September 2007. That close encounter set the tone, and games between the two sides are always close affairs. Barnet completed a league double in 2009/10, but although those came in the middle of 4 consecutive Bees wins, WIFC have won the last two meetings, including a 3-2 win at the Hive earlier this season.
The overall record sees 5 WIFC wins to Barnet’s 4, but with that first win being against a very different Bees team, it’s easy to see why both teams will expect another close game this weekend.
Full Record – WIFC v Barnet
| Played | Won | Drew | Lost | For | Against |
| 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 24 | 19 |
All-time WIFC scorers v Barnet
2- Joel Moody, Jimmy Davis
1 – Paul Watt, Richard Murphy, Chris Dew, Chris Dundon, Mark Brennan, Paul Whittenbury, Richard Wenham, Mark Collins, Jamie Parkins, Dave Soloway, Rob Sterry, Warren Flanagan, Alex Prentice.