Curtis Weston says that he is looking forward to season ahead following a productive first two weeks back for the Barnet squad.

“Training has been hard but we’ve been well looked after with our rest time and stuff like that so it’s all going really well. We look fit and strong and we’ve all been doing bits and pieces over the summer to make sure that we came back in shape and that has shown in the games so far.

“We’ve obviously changed the team quite a bit but I think all the players, both young and old, have shown good character and played really well.”

One of those older heads to impress has been trialist Gavin Mahon, and Weston admits that he has enjoyed playing alongside the 37-year-old in the heart of the Bees’ midfield:

“Gavin has got a lot of experience, he’s very good at his job and I think that we’ve been working really well together. It helps me a lot playing alongside him because he talks a lot to me and I can learn a lot from him.”

Manager Martin Allen has already announced that Weston will start his third game in a row tomorrow as Barnet take on Luton Town at The Hive, and the midfielder is braced for another challenging fixture:

“I think it will be a tough one for us. They’re quite a physical side but I think that we have shown over the last couple of games that we can be physical as well and that we can compete and battle if need be.”

The 27-year-old was also quick to praise the influence of team mates Graham Stack and Jon Nurse after the pair took on player-coach roles ahead of the new season:

“We’ve brought in Nursey and Stacky as coaches who we obviously all know very well so that has helped us massively. They have done a fantastic job so far and I’m sure that they’ll get better and better as the season goes on.

“Stacky was captain for us last season and Nursey has been around for a while and played a lot of games so they both have a lot of respect already. They were both already a sort of father figure to a lot of the younger boys and have always kept them under their wing so it has all fitted together quite comfortably.”

Finally, Weston acknowledged that there is a different feel about the place compared to twelve months ago, and thinks that can only bode well for the forthcoming campaign:

“I think things started to change as soon as the gaffer came in towards the end of last season and we’ve just really carried that on. Towards the back end of last season we worked a lot on team shape and team play.

“The gaffer knows exactly what he wants us to do and he drums that into us so we are looking a lot more organised heading towards the start of this season than maybe we did at the start of last season. That will be key for us, and I’m really looking forward to it.”