Striker Michael Gash says he is relishing the competition for places upfront at Barnet after Martin Allen snapped up former Leyton Orient pair Kevin Lisbie and Shaun Batt.

The duo have demonstrated exactly why the Bees head coach brought them to The Hive after their release by the O’s with Lisbie flicking home a deft header in the Saturday's 5-3 defeat by Crystal Palace and Batt finishing well in the 3-2 win at St Albans City on Tuesday.

Gash only joined the Bees during the January transfer window and signed a new deal to remain in Edgware earlier in the summer with his original short-term agreement ending in June.

It was an opportunity to play in the Football League for the first time which the 28-year-old could not turn down. And with a chance to prove his worth in the elite 72 now on the horizon, Gash is not fazed by the striking talent available to Allen.

“You need competition otherwise you start to get into your comfort zone,” he said. “The gaffer has brought in two top strikers so for me and John (Akinde) already being here it is going to be tougher.

“You have seen what John could do last year, he is a major threat, and with the other two coming in it will be a fight for a place but you have got to be confident, believe in yourself, train hard and get in the gaffer’s thoughts with training.

“I am looking forward to the challenge and it is brilliant to have players like that who have been at the top – especially Kevin (Lisbie) – so it is going to be tough but enjoyable and it is only good for the team.”

The Rinteln-born hitman continued: “To learn from them will be good. I think Shaun (Batt) is the same age as me but has played at a good level.

"When I came here last year John and I did well but it will be a fight for your place come matchday.

“We will have some games where it will be tough and the gaffer might decide to go with just one striker as well, so it is going to be hard to get in the team but you want competition. You train better, you play better,” he said.

Although he will start the campaign as a novice in League Two, the former Cambridge United and Kidderminster Harriers forward is adamant the gap between the National League and the bottom tier of the Football League should not be cause for concern for the Bees.

He reasoned: “I think you have got to go in with an open mind. I think you have to believe in yourself and believe in your teammates that we can step up to this level and be a force at this level as well.

“I do not think there is much difference between the Conference and this level – maybe only the top four or five teams.

“The Conference is a tough league but we proved last year we can deal with that so we will go into this season with have a lot of confidence.

"We can’t take anything for granted, we know it will be tough but we are up to the challenge and hopefully we can do something this year.”