Wycombe survived in the Football League by the skin of their teeth last season, sitting three points from safety in the relegation zone prior to the final round of fixtures.

However, an emphatic 3-0 win against already-relegated Torquay United on the final day combined with Bristol Rovers’ failure to secure a point at home against Mansfield Town meant that the Chairboys survived on goal difference, pulling off the sort of miraculous final day escape for which Barnet were considered specialists.  

Saturday’s friendly will mark the beginning of a new era for Wycombe, with Andrew Howard taking over as the Chairboys’ chairman today from Dan Woodward, who has been in charge of the club since they were taken over by the Wycombe Wanderers Trust two years ago.

In order to try and avoid a repeat of a relegation scare, Gareth Ainsworth has sought to strengthen all areas of his squad. 24-year-old Peter Murphy has been signed from Accrington, with the utility player scoring nine times last season whilst playing in defence and midfield.

Another addition to the defence has been Welsh left-back Joe Jacobson, signed on a two-year deal after he was released by Shrewsbury despite being voted as the Shrews’ Player of the Season last time out as they were relegated back to League Two.

Two recent new arrivals have been 18-year-old Danny Rowe, who played for Wycombe seven times towards the end of last season, and 19-year-old Nicky Walker, with the youngsters both signing on loan from Rotherham until the start of November.

The last time that the Bees met Wycombe was of in the final competitive match at Underhill, with Jake Hyde scoring the last goal on the famous slope to help Barnet claim a 1-0 victory. Of course, the game was not without drama after Wycombe were awarded an injury-time penalty following a foul by Tom Flanagan, but Graham Stack made it a day to remember for all the right reasons by saving the spot-kick in front of 6,001 mightily relieved fans.