General Information
– Barnet Football Club urge all supporters to arrive at The Hive as early as possible
– All areas of the stadium will be open from 1pm including the west stand home & away bars.
– Parking is £5 and will be on a first come first served basis.
– Shuttle buses will be in operation, for info please click here.
– Limited tickets will be available on the turnstiles for home supporters.
Introduction
– Barnet host Luton Town on Boxing Day in what many are calling the biggest match of the Skrill Premier season.
– The Bees currently sit fifth in the table following a 0-1 win over Hyde last time out.
– The Hatters are currently flying in the league in second place just one point behind league leaders Cambridge United.
– Edgar Davids’ side have won all three of their last Skrill Premier fixtures and the Dutchman could return to the side following a two match ban.
– The Bees will however be without top goalscorer Keanu Marsh-Brown who serves a one match ban for picking up five yellow cards.
– The match will also see the return of former Barnet manager John Still who recently signed a new deal with Luton Town.
Team News
Barnet Football Club
– Jake Hyde and Dani Lopez are both expected to start against Luton Town.
– Keanu Marsh-Brown is unavailable due to suspension but Edgar Davids is available following a two match ban.
– The Bees have a fully fit squad other than Marciano Mengerink who is still a few weeks away from a return.
Luton Town
– Jon Shaw, Andy Parry, Alex Lacey, Solomon Taiwo and Danny Fitzsimons are definite absentees.
Last Time Out
21 December 2013
Skrill Premier
Hyde 0-1 Barnet
Barnet: Stack, Yiadom, Stephens, Saville, Johnson; Weston, Byrne; Nurse, Luisma (Vilhete 90), KMB (Cadogan 81); Hyde (Lopez 77).
Subs: Jupp, Abdulla.
Goals: Nurse 57.
21 December 2013
Skrill Premier
Luton Town 4-2 Gateshead
Luton Town: Tyler, Griffiths, Davis, Henry, McNulty, Ruddock, Guttrudge (Robinson 78), Smith, Lawless, Benson, Gray.
Subs: Justham, Howells, Cullen, Mawson.
Goals: Benson 16, Lawless 27 60, Gray 30.
The Opposition
– Luton Town formed in 1885, they play their home matches at Kenilworth Road.
– Luton were the first club from southern England to turn professional making payments to players as early as 1890.
– They joined the Football League before the 1897-98 season but left in 1900 due to financial problems before returning in 1920.
– In 1955-56 they reached the First Division and contested a major final for the first time taking on Nottingham Forest in the 1959 FA Cup Final.
– The club was relegated in 1959-60 and demoted twice more in the following five years to the fourth division but they were promoted back to the top level by 1974-75.
– Town’s most successful period began in 1981-82 when they clinched the Second division title.
– They won the League Cup in 1988 beating Arsenal 3-2 and they remained in the first division until relegation at the end of the 1991-92 season.
– Between 2007 and 2009 financial difficulties cause the club to fall from the second tier of English football to the fifth in successive seasons.
– The last of those relegations came in the 2008-09 season when the club were docked 30 points for various financial irregularities.
– This ended the club’s 89-year spell as a member of the Football League and they have remained in the Conference since.
Manager
– Luton are managed by former Barnet manager John Still.
– Stiil had two spells in charge of Barnet between 1997-2000 and 2001-2002.
– During that time he took the Bees to the third division play-offs but lost 3-2 in the semi-finals to Colchester United in 1998.
– Two years later he led Barnet to the play-offs once again but they were once again beaten, this time by former employers Peterborough United.
– Still became Director of Football in November 2000 following the appointment of former England international Tony Cottee.
– Cottee left after losing 13 of his 19 games in charge and Still returned as manager but he was unable to prevent their relegation to the Conference.
– Still remained as Director of Football until the end of the 2001-02 season before leaving to become assistant manager of Bristol Rovers.
– Since leaving Barnet Still has also managed Dagenham & Redbridge winning promotion to League Two and League One.
