Bristol Rovers have certainly benefited from “new manager syndrome” with their results picking up since John Ward took the manager’s job.

The outgoing Mark McGhee will now link up with the Scottish national team as assistant manager to Gordon Strachan.  

Their most recent result was a 3-1 victory at Rotherham United at the weekend, another illustration that League Two is perhaps the most open of all the top four divisions.

Barnet’s confidence will not be dented by the defeat at Burton Albion at the weekend. 

Of course in the final analysis it was a defeat and there are no prizes for that, but this was a decent performance by the Bees and the game could have gone either way.

The penalty was a soft one and for almost the entire match the Bees genuinely looked liked drawing level with Graham Stack rarely being called upon.

I certainly got the impression that after the defeat at the hands of Burton Albion the players’ minds soon switched to the Bristol Rovers match with their confidence still intact.

The Bees probably delivered one of their best away day performances of last season when they recorded a victory at the Memorial Stadium. 

The defence needed to withstand a bit of an onslaught but the jeers from the home crowd at the final whistle told you the Bees had certainly done well enough to warrant the three points.

You have to expect much of the same tonight in terms of the home side applying some pressure. 

On the road the Bees have looked a sound outfit of late and there is pace and guile about the line-up that a game of this sort could suit.

New signing Harry Crawford gave a good account of himself as a late sub at the Pirelli on Saturday and did his cause no harm in terms of a starting berth. 

He looks like a player who is at home in and around the penalty box.

If you are unable to make the trip west this evening then Karl Bates and I will form the commentary team on the Barnet Player service which will be offering full-match commentary.

David Bloomfield