Martin Allen has confirmed Barnet are hoping to sign free agent David Hunt on a deal until the end of season, despite admitting the midfielder's best days are behind him.

Hunt, 32, was released by parent club Oxford United on Monday before the January transfer window closed and his loan deal with the Bees expired after Saturday's postponed clash at Halifax Town.

A Conference title-winner with Crawley Town in 2011, Hunt is still training with the Bees and Allen is hopeful he will sign a short-term contract until the end of the campaign.

He said: "His best years, let’s not kid ourselves, are behind him but he can do a good job guiding our players and I am talking to the chairman now - who is on his way back from Hong Kong - about keeping David Hunt through to the end of the season.

"He has been absolutely fantastic since he has been here. People would perhaps question that but off the field, around the training pitch and around the group of players [he has been important]."

Allen continued: "I think the strength of our squad has been the unity, team spirit and respect of each other.

"That is really the thing that has got us to the top of the league for the last six months. You try and bring in good people and as well as good footballers.

"I think it is absolutely crucial to have good people: people that can’t be bothered to train, can’t be bothered to do extra work, are late, don’t respect their team-mates and don’t have the courage to say ‘well done’ to somebody in their position and genuinely mean it, I do not try to have those characters or personalities.

"We have not got any scouts; we have not got anybody who helps with finding players. But I make a lot of telephone calls, have a lot of chats with a lot of people and get to know what the people are like before finding out if they are any good.

"David Hunt would be a gold medal winner in those categories of what you want off the field," enthused Allen.

The full-back-cum-midfielder has made 13 appearances for the Bees, ten of which have come in the Conference, and had been negotiating his release from Oxford for the last fortnight before a deal was struck on Monday morning.