A second half goal by captain Mark Hughes gave Barnet a 2-1 victory over Burton Albion, the three points keeping the Bees ahead of Hereford United whose victory over Torquay was to no avail, so ensuring that Underhill hosts league football in its last season as the home of Barnet FC.
With Izale McLeod not fit enough to start, the manager selected Ben May and Scott McGleish upfront with Mark Byrne and Michael Hector continuing in their new positions of right-back and central midfield enforcer. Clovis Kamdjo and Jack Saville were the central defensive pairing.
In the opening moments a half chance was presented to Calvin Zola, the Brewers' Player of the Season, but he failed to find the net...and more of him later.
Barnet set about their task in a brisk and efficient manner and deservedly went ahead after only six minutes when a Mark Byrne free-kick from the edge of the box was deflected past the hapless Ross Atkins.
However the Bees then went somewhat into their shell and the home side came much more into the game and most of the play was now in Barnet's half.
The result of this pressure was an equaliser in the 27th minute when Jacques Maghoma cleverly steered the ball into the corner of the net from the edge of the penalty area.
With minutes of the first half remaining the Brewers were awarded a penalty and with news filtering through from Edgar Street that Hereford were carving up Torquay to the tune of three goals to nil this was the moment when Barnet's League status was in palpable danger. You could feel it in your bones.
There seemed a degree of disagreement among the Burton players as to who would take the spot kick as Zola picked the ball up and marched to the penalty spot.
Zola then proceeded to send the ball skywards and over the bar in Chris Waddle World Cup Italia90 style. A turning point if ever there was one.
Overall this had not been a good half for the Bees but the missed spot-kick and a half-time team talk galvanised the Barnet players for the task the next 45 minutes would clearly offer. Barnet simply had the win the match.
For the second period McLeod replaced Scott McGleish. Byrne and Hector swapped positions, with both the defence and midfield benefitting from these changes.
Barnet looked so determined in this half. Tackles were being won and the ball was consistently being moved forward in a considered manner. Sam Deering had a good chance in the 51st minute when Hector headed the ball back into the middle but his effort flashed past a post.
Ricky Holmes was becoming increasingly influential down the left and looked to have the beating of his full-back anytime the ball could be fed out to him.
On the hour mark the inevitable breakthrough came when Hughes lashed the ball with his left foot into the net from distance for his fifth and most vital goal of the season.
Torquay were rallying to some extent and had narrowed the score to 3-2; but today was always about what Barnet could achieve, the undoubted benefit of being in the position of determining your own fate.
McLeod then had a couple of reasonable chances to put the game beyond doubt. Barnet were holding firm; but then came a series of last minute corners from the Brewers and the Barnet goal was suddenly under attack. Could the 2011-12 season still have some evil twist of a card to play?
The first of two corners were repelled but from the third Patrick Ada rose high and his header looked destined for the postage stamp corner of the net only to see the long left arm of Dean Brill appear magically and brilliantly to tip the ball over the bar. Surely the Bees were now safe. And suddenly with a blast of the referee's whistle we were.
Cue celebration/relief/hugs from the travelling 992 Bees. It was quite an afternoon, but crucially it was a merited victory and on that basis Barnet thoroughly deserves to maintain their league status.
Barnet's next competitive fixture will be a Football League one...
David Bloomfield