by JOHN POLLARD

sports editor

With a new season barely more than a week away, Barnet FC face the threat that the crowd capacity at Underhill Stadium could be reduced to around 1,000 by the Football Licensing Authority.

The Bees' licence from the FLA expired on Monday, and they will not receive another until conditions demanded by the authorities are met in full. That would result in a substantial financial loss for the Third Division club, due to meet Premiership West Ham in a home friendly on Monday.

Mr John Quidt, chief executive of the FLA, said: 'Barnet have been made aware for a long time of those areas of the ground that are licenced. They are those parts which comply with licencing conditions. As of today (Tuesday) that's most of one side of the ground.

'If they don't have more of the ground in use, the capacity will be restricted to the 1,000 seats on the west side.'

Barnet plan to have the stand at the south end restored by the weekend and in use for the friendly with West Ham, but the area remains unlicenced.

Michael Edwards, chairman of the Keep Barnet Alive Campaign, said: 'We could be forced into a ground share, and the club could die within two weeks.

'The situation is that desperate, but Alan Williams, leader of the council, has done nothing to help, despite his promise to the fans that he would when we met him at the town hall recently.'

Club chairman Tony Kleanthous said: 'The authorities keep on kicking us even though they know the majority of the work has been done. What we have experienced saddens me. But we'll fight on.

'If we are forced out of the Football League, we'll take action legally to obtain satisfaction. That could mean taking our case to the European Court with a complaint about a restraint of trade and abuse of a dominant position.'

jpollard@london.newsquest.co.uk