The Bees make the short journey to Kenilworth Road this evening to take on League One side Luton Town in the first group stage fixture of the Vertu Trophy in a 7:30pm kick-off.
Barnet:
The Bees come into this evening’s game after securing seven out of a possible nine points from their three most recent Sky Bet League Two fixtures.
Dean Brennan’s side returned to the Hive on Saturday after two positive results on the road and earned a well-deserved point against Danny Cowley’s Colchester United.
The U’s frustratingly took the lead inside ten minutes through Jack Tucker and looked to double their advantage when Jack Payne saw Cieran Slicker off his line, but the Bees’ shot-stopper did excellently to get back into a position that allowed him to parry the ball out for a corner.
Barnet grew into the game and came very close with minutes to go in the first 45, when a Ryan Glover long throw fell to the feet of Ollie Kensdale, but he was unable to get the contact to poke the ball home and the hosts headed into the break a goal down.
The Bees started the second-half as they ended the first-half, getting the ball into Colchester’s box on numerous occasions, but still lacking that final ball in front of goal.
Hartigan whipped in one of numerous dangerous corners to test the blue and white defence, and on this occasion, Callum Stead met the delivery and headed it straight into the hands of Macey in the Colchester goal.
The Bees’ constant pressure finally paid off in the 90th minute, when Danny Collinge was in the right place at the right time to finish off a brilliant team move, assisted by substitute Kane Smith.
The late heroics from our number four followed by six minutes of added time and despite Colchester creating one last chance in the final stages in an attempt to the win the tie, the score remained level at the referee’s full-time whistle.
Barnet’s last five results:
Barnet FC 1-1 Colchester
Cheltenham Town 0-1 Barnet FC
Swindon Town 0-2 Barnet FC
Barnet FC 1-2 Walsall
Bromley 2-0 Barnet FC
From the dugout:
Connor Smith’s pre-match interview can be viewed HERE!
Luton Town
The Hatters currently sit seventh in League One after suffering back-to-back relegations from the Premier League.
Matt Bloomfield’s side come into tonight’s game off the back of a 3-0 win and clean sheet away at Burton Albion.
Luton dominated the early exchanges and found themselves 1-0 up inside 20 minutes at the Pirelli Stadium, with youngster Lasse Nordas taking aim from the edge of the area.
After hitting the post, the Hatters deservedly got a second goal on the stroke of half-time through Millenic Ali.
Burton’s best chance of the afternoon came early in the second 45 when Jake Beesley curled an effort wide, before Zack Nelson scored the visitors’ third just before the hour mark to round of a dominant performance on the road for the Hatters.
Luton Town’s last five results:
Burton Albion 0-3 Luton Town
Luton Town 0-1 Cardiff
Luton Town 1-0 Wigan Athletic
Bradford City 2-1 Luton Town
Coventry City 1-0 Luton Town
In the opposition dugout:
The Hatters are coached by 41-year-old Matt Bloomfield, who was appointed in January and despite guiding the club to six draws and wins in the latter stages of the Championship season, was unable to steer them from the relegation zone.
Bloomfield’s previous managerial experiences include Colchester United, who he helped avoid relegation into the National League and Wycombe Wanderers who he guided to the EFL Trophy final in 2024, as well as an automatic promotion spot in League One before his departure.
Luton have scored eight and conceded four so far this season under Bloomfield, showing their quality in the final third as well as their defensive work, with four clean sheets from six games.
Ones to watch:
A stand out player for the Hatters will be midfielder George Saville. The 32-year-old has incredible pedigree in the Championship, and with over 470 career appearances and more than 65 goal contributions to his name throughout his professional career, will certainly be a key player for Matt Bloomfield’s side this season.
With a goal and assist to his name already this campaign, Saville is a threat from set-pieces, but also does the defensive side of his job extremely well, with interceptions and tackling being a key part of his game.
Last time these two sides met:
The last time these two sides met was in 2018 in League Two, when second-half goals from Danny Hylton James Collins saw the Hatters secure three points on home soil.
For supporters makiing the journey this evening, click here for all away supporter information.
We look forward to seeing the travelling Bees’ fans at Kenilworth Road!