WELCOMING BACK: BARNET FAN - CARLA DEVINE

⚽ Her Game Too: Visiting Fan Q&A

This week, we caught up with Carla Devine – a proud Barnet supporter who last featured on our blog a couple of seasons ago. With both our clubs celebrating promotion last season, it felt like the perfect time to check back in ahead of Barnet’s visit to Boundary Park.

🔵 Name:

Carla Devine

🟠 Club:

Barnet

📍 Hometown:

Leeds

Since we last spoke both our teams have been promoted! What a feeling! Can you put into words how that felt?

A good season for both of us! Honestly it was an amazing season. Every one of those players will be a hero at Barnet forever. That momentum of winning created a great atmosphere at the club. Celebrating our league win with the players in the pub and then in Blackpool the night before our last game of the season against Fylde are memories that will last forever.

Any changes made?

Since we were promoted, there have been a few changes in the squad. However, we have kept hold of a good number of our title winning players from last season, now it’s finding the right balance for League Two.

🐝 Barnet crowned champions 24/25!

🗣️ Q&A

1. Tell us an interesting or unusual fact about your hometown or city.

I’m actually from Leeds originally, but James Milner went to the same high school as me. Having his signed shirts up around school was always pretty cool.

2. What got you into football – and do you remember your first match?

My parents are totally responsible for my love of football. I don’t remember my first game because I was only 16 months old. But I know it was away at Blackpool, we lost 3-2 and got relegated a week later!

3. Why did you choose to support your club?

Supporting a team 200 miles away from where I was born sounds random, but it’s where my Dad’s from. We grew up going to plenty of northern away days and driving up and down the M1 a lot. Something about Barnet just captured me and I ended up moving down to London because of it!

4. Who was your footballing hero growing up?

Lee Harrison was my first ever favourite footballer.

5. What's your favourite football memory as a fan (or player)?

There’s been a few good ones, especially in recent times. However, the final game at Underhill will always have a special place in my heart. We won the game to avoid relegation (although we did go down the week after) and Graham Stack saved a penalty in front of the home end. It was a perfect goodbye.

6. Do you travel to away games often? What’s been your favourite ground to visit – apart from Boundary Park!

Yeah, I haven’t missed a Barnet game since 2018 now (minus Covid behind closed door games). I will say I do like Boundary Park. I’ve been to Valley Parade a fair few times in both the home and away end as I grew up close by, and that’s a great stadium.

7. What’s the best chant or song your fans sing?

Given we are trying to get a move back to Underhill with our Bring Barnet Back campaign, it only seems right to say ‘We are Barnet, super Barnet, we are Barnet from Underhill.’

8. Have you noticed attitudes toward female fans or the women’s game changing?

I was lucky enough to go out to Switzerland during the summer for the Euros, including for the final, which was amazing. To see the momentum around the team and the homecoming certainly showed that we are here to stay. However, there are still some comments you hear regarding women in the men’s game which can be a sobering reminder that there is still plenty of work to be done.

9. Matchday traditions – any lucky charms or rituals?

I’m not too bad but I do take my Barnet scarf to every game and I also have a bee ring I wear on match days.

Trophy lift 🏆

10. If your club were a film or song, what would it be and why?

Life is a Rollercoaster by Ronan Keating seems like an appropriate answer with little explanation needed!

11. How do you feel Barnet has started the season?

It has taken us a little bit of time to get going and we have not been helped by a few injuries to start the season. However, our recent win at Crewe showed we definitely have what it takes and hopefully we can push on.

12. Player for Oldham to watch out for?

As I say, injuries and settling new players into the team have meant we’ve been making a fair few changes so far, but Idris Kanu has had a strong start to the season. Having Nik Tavares back from injury is also a massive boost.

13. Where do you see Barnet Finishing?

It’s hard to say. I do think some expectations were very high after we won the league last season. I think we’ll find our feet and be safe, but there’s no pressure to go too high. It’s just about progress for me!

⚡ Quick Fire Round

🏟️ Favourite stadium (besides your own)?

I am also a Newcastle fan (courtesy of my Mum) so I’m going to cheat and say St James’ Park!

🥧 Top matchday snack?

Chips and gravy all day long!

🚌 Home or away days?

I love an away day, although if we can return to Underhill, then home games may be very special again!

📺 VAR – yes or no?

100% no.

👕 Dream player to sign for your club?

Having had Edgar Davids play for us, I’m not sure anything could shock me now! It would be easy to go for a top Premier League player, but I’ll go more sentimental. Albert Adomah recently returned to The Hive as a Walsall player and he still has plenty of talent! Top man and I think he deserves a final run out in black and amber before he retires!

A huge thank you to Carla for taking the time to chat with us once again 🙌. It was brilliant to catch up, always a pleasure to have her on the blog – and we wish her and Barnet all the best (apart from on matchday, of course!). 🟠⚫