Barnet: The Bees have now taken points off promotion chasing sides in each of their last three matches. A John Akinde penalty earnt Barnet a 1-0 win over Portsmouth, before the forward’s late equaliser against Accrington secured a point on the road on Saturday. Martin Allen’s side put in another dogged performance against Plymouth Argyle on Tuesday night – Andy Yiadom’s second half strike was enough to secure all three points for the Bees.

Barnet have lost just once in eight matches (keeping clean sheets in six of those encounters), and are 6th in the division’s form chart (last six games). They now have the second best home form in the whole of League Two.

Hartlepool United: Hartlepool have struggled since mid-January; only winning one of their last nine matches. They have lost three of their last four games, and were beaten 4-1 by Bristol Rovers on Tuesday night. That run of form has left United perilously close to the League Two relegation zone – they are currently 22nd, but do have a number of games in hand over the teams around them. Pools have the second worst record on the road this season, and are 22nd in the form chart (last six matches).

In The Dugout:  Craig Hignett took charge of Hartlepool United mid-way through last month, following the sacking of experienced manager Ronnie Moore. This is Hignett’s first managerial role, having previously been assistant to Colin Cooper at Victoria Park. He also worked alongside Aitor Karanka at Middleborough, before leaving the Riverside Stadium in December 2014. The Whiston-born manager will be able to draw upon a wealth of playing experience, having made 465 league appearances for the likes of Crewe Alexandra, Middlesbrough, Barnsley and Blackburn Rovers during a 19 year professional career.  

Dangerman:  Billy Paynter has scored 11 times already this season – the 31-year-old striker now has over 100 goals to date. Paynter began his career at Port Vale, where he struck 34 times in 158 matches and won the club’s Player of the Year award in 2005. His most productive spells came at Swindon Town (2007-10) where he scored 51 goals, and at Doncaster Rovers where he won the League One title in 2013.

Last Meeting: Barnet secured their first away point of the campaign when they played Hartlepool at Victoria Park. The ‘Monkey Hangers’ took the lead through Rhys Oates after just seven minutes, but the Bees fought back in the second half. John Akinde equalised after pouncing on a mix-up in the Pools defence, to send Barnet home with a share of the spoils. You can read the report from that match here.


Ticket Details: You can book tickets in advance of the game online here. Tickets can be bought on the day of the match, but only at the Ticket Office. It is recommended to arrive early to avoid queues.

Tickets to Saturday’s match are also available as part of our ‘Three for £33’ bundle! Find out more here.

Travel: You can get to and from The Hive by taking our Shuttle Bus service. To find out more and check the bus timetable, click here.

The club are now offering a 50% discount for supporters travelling on the first bus to / last bus from The Hive. Find out more here.

Food & Drink: Grazioli’s Bar (under the West Stand) will be open from 12:30, and will be serving our range of top quality burgers. The North London derby between Spurs and Arsenal is the televised early kick-off on Saturday, so why not head down to the ground early and enjoy a pre-match beer before the game?

Prize Draw: Tickets for the Amber Triple Chance Draw are available for just £1. You could win a guaranteed first prize of £200, a £300 Jako voucher in our monthly draw, and be entered in an end-of-season draw for a year’s free Bees Membership! You can get tickets from our sellers around the ground.

Follow The Match: If you can’t get to The Hive, you can listen to full commentary of the match on Bees Player HD. We’ll also have live twitter updates throughout the game, and a match report & post-match reaction on barnetfc.com.