David Stephens believes Barnet will receive an incredible boost from the imminent returns of Keanu Marsh-Brown, Jake Hyde and Dani Lopez.

The trio are expected to return in the next few weeks and following a 2-1 defeat to Grimsby, in which the Bees lacked a cutting edge, their return cannot come soon enough.

Speaking post-match Stephens explained how the return of the trio will help the Bees enjoy a very happy Christmas. 

“Luke came back into the team today and we have the likes of Keanu, Jake and Dani to return so that will give the squad a massive lift.

“The next month will be vitally important; the festive period always is, so to have players of that quality coming back is fantastic for the team.”

Saturday saw Barnet’s seven match Skrill Premier unbeaten run come to an end but Stephens doesn’t believe the Bees left anything in the tank.

“We came here thinking we could win so it is very disappointing but I don’t think the boys could have given anymore.

“We fought until the final whistle but we were punished for a 15 minute spell in which we weren’t sharp enough.”

The Bees dominated possession in the first-half and Stephens stated they paid the ultimate price for not making it count.

“I don’t think we threatened them enough in the first-half when we controlled the game. We had a lot of possession but didn’t make it count.

“They didn’t test us in the first-half but they came out from the break a much better side and we paid the price.”

Stephens goal will surely go down as one of the best of the season but he admitted it was marred by a costly defeat that sees the Bees drop to 11th in the Skrill Premier table.

“It was nice to score, especially a goal like that, but it’s a shame we couldn’t get the equaliser and make it mean something.

“I’ve probably not scored a better goal so like I said its unfortunate it counts for nothing. We have to look at what went wrong, rectify it and then go again on Tuesday against Dartford."