While thousands of people across the country and worldwide tuned into Ben Foster's superb 95th-minute penalty save against Notts County in what is arguably the largest game ever to be held in the world of non-league football, Barnet played out a bore draw against an already-relegated Maidstone United at the Gallagher Stadium.
Phil Parkinson's Wrexham are the face of the league, sitting on top with 103 points as they fight for a much-awaited promotion back to the Football League. Life under Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney has been brilliant for the community of Wrexham. The Racecourse Ground is selling out weekly as fans come watch the stars of the Vanarama National League, including goalscorer Paul Mullin and the recently acquired former Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster.
Barnet are not far below the Red Dragons in the table, sitting in fifth place, but the gap is colossal, a monstrous 34 points split the two sides. The Bees are not in the best of form, with three points out of their last four games, but their home form against top sides is something that manager Dean Brennan is hoping the squad will take advantage of.
Barnet have been excellent at home when facing tough opposition, beating Chesterfield convincingly in a 3-0 win, putting two past Woking earlier on in the season and playing out a 1-1 draw with title contenders Notts County in March.
However, Wrexham are a different type of opposition. Before Good Friday's shock loss away at Halifax, they hadn't lost since October in the league, where they fell to County at Meadow Lane.
The Halifax result does give the Bees hope, with a second half resurgence from the Shay managing to put three past the experienced Foster and the well-organised backline.
Despite this, it seems that the result is beyond them after their outstanding Easter Monday result. With the game levelled at 2-2 with 15 minutes left, former Luton Town man Elliott Lee's strike turned out to be the game winner, but not without the returning Foster who saved the Red Dragons with a save off Cedwyn Scott's spot-kick with seconds left.
Barnet are very close to selling out the Hive Stadium for this affair, which holds up to 6,500 people. It is the first time that the Hive has been full since January 2019, when they hosted a star-studded Brentford side in the 4th round of the FA Cup.
The visitors have been allocated 1,800 which was sold out months prior to this tie, but there is no doubt despite the restrictions that Barnet have implemented that there will be more travelling from Wales in hope of seeing this red-hot Wrexham side.
Team News:
Barnet:
- The Bees' standout summer purchase in Nicke Kabamba sustained an injury against York City. He hasn't appeared since, and will be hoping to be back as soon as possible in contention to play.
- Barnet have also been without their other star striker Harry Smith, who had a concussion in their FA Trophy Semi Final clash with Gateshead. Smith has been in fine form since joining from Leyton Orient, scoring five goals in eight appearances.
- Jerome Okimo had played every minute since joining the club, but wasn't included in the squad against Maidstone United, with an injury a possibility.
- The skipper Dale Gorman has also been missing, which is a huge loss for Brennan's side as he pulls the strings in the midfield. While there is no evidence that any are back available to face Wrexham, assistant John Dreyer said in an interview that 'one or two players have niggles, and will be back soon, but nothing else'.
Wrexham:
- Meanwhile, Parkinson's squad is pretty much free to pick from, with Andy Cannon's injury against Notts the only doubt in the side.
- Centre-back Jordan Tunnicliffe has been out with a back problem, but it will be hoped that he is in contention to feature in London.
- Monday's hero Ben Foster did mention in his vlog that he had spouts of cramp after the penalty save, but there is no doubt that the 40-year-old will be raring to go with six games remaining in the campaign.
Likely Lineups:
Barnet: Walker, Potter, Collinge, Fernandez, Wynter, Pritchard, Armstrong, De Havilland, Senior, Moyo, Kanu
Wrexham: Foster, Tozer, O'Connell, Mendy, Young, Lee, Jones, O'Connor, Palmer, Mullin, Barnett
Key Players:
Idris Kanu (Barnet FC)
With a plethora of players missing for the Bees, Kanu is the danger-man. The number 11 has eight goals since joining from Peterborough United in the summer, providing a lot of pace and technical ability on the left-wing.
Kanu has demonstrated his ability against Wrexham too, scoring a stunning strike in the reverse tie back in October. He will need to step up again if Barnet are going to give the high-flying Wrexham side a real challenge.
Ben Foster (AFC Wrexham)
It's between Paul Mullin and Ben Foster. Mullin has undeniably been Wrexham's best player this season, scoring 35 goals in the league, only to be outdone by Macaulay Langstaff's record-breaking tally of 41.
But Foster's heroics against County makes him the one to watch, with the signature Go-Pro in the net and his overall experience.
The 40-year-old has played for Manchester United, Birmingham City,, West Bromwich Albion and Watford, making him easily one of the best players to grace the Vanarama National League, ironically behind Barnet's Edgar Davids in 2012.
Match Details:
Where is the game being played?
This Vanarama National League clash will be hosted by Barnet's The Hive London.
Home to the Bees since 2013, the stadium has a capacity of 6,500.
What time is kick-off?
The game will kick off at 12.45pm BST, having been selected to be broadcasted on TV.
This decision was controversial among fans, who were given short notice of the time change.
How can I watch?
There are very few tickets left for the game, as the stadium is close to full capacity. Barnet have advertised remaining hospitality tickets on their ticketing website and social media platforms, but they are on sale at a more premium price of £49.
The time change is a result of BT Sport's interest, with it scheduled to be on BT Sport 2 with coverage starting at 12.15pm BST.
Live updates will be provided by both team's social media accounts, as well as a match report after the game from the team here at VAVEL.com who will be in attendance at the Hive.