Indeed, Barnet will be entering their sixth successive season competing in England’s fifth tier, following their relegation from League Two in 2018.
After battling against relegation in the previous two campaigns, Dean Brennan’s side were surprise contenders at the top end of the division last time out, although automatic promotion was never on the cards for them given the incredibly high standards of Wrexham and Notts County.
As was the case three seasons prior, though, the Bees ultimately fell short during the end of season playoffs, with Lee Ndlovu’s brace helping Boreham Wood to a 2-1 victory at the Hive Stadium in early May.
With Wrexham’s and Notts County’s vast resources no longer standing in the way of several contenders hoping to climb into the promised land of the Football League.
Brennan and his players may be confident of pushing for promotion once again, with Tuesday’s friendly against Premier League opposition set to provide another superb test for them after drawing 1-1 against Norwich City in their first pre-season game.
Crystal Palace, meanwhile, are enjoying the club’s most successful ever period in terms of the length of unbroken time which they have spent in England’s top flight.
Their 10th consecutive campaign in the Premier League ended with Roy Hodgson comfortably guiding them away from any relegation fears following his return to the club in late March, with the 75-year-old extending his stay at the club by putting pen to paper on a one-year contract last week.
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The Eagles’ consistency across that decade has been quite remarkable, with only one top half finish to shout about in 2014-15, yet they have gained between 41-49 points in every season, having never looked in any real relegation danger at the business end of any of those campaigns.
Hodgson has bolstered his ranks with the addition of Jefferson Lerma on a free transfer from Bournemouth, but much of the speculation at Selhurst Park has understandably been
dominated by the future of club legend Wilfried Zaha, whose contract expired at the end of last month. The 30-year-old is reportedly close to turning down extending his time in south London by making a switch to Champions League representatives Lazio.
