Crisis club Blackpool stand between Barnet and the FA Cup second round on Saturday and the Tangerines have reverted to type just in time for their trip to The Hive.

After a run which saw them lose four of their first five games in League One under Neil McDonald, Pool looked odds-on for a second consecutive relegation.

However, the former West Ham United assistant manager has somehow halted that slump and guided the Lancashire outfit out of the relegation zone with an unbeaten run of five matches through September and October.

But that came crashing down at the weekend as they lost a seven-goal thriller 4-3 at newly-promoted Bury before succumbing 1-0 at Bradford City on Tuesday evening.

That leaves Pools perched 20th in League One, a point above the relegation zone with 16 games gone.

Here we profile three of the players Barnet will have to keep under wraps on Saturday if they are to reach round two for the first time since 2011, when they were beaten 3-1 by MK Dons after dispatching with Conference side Southport 2-1 in round one.

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Jack Redshaw: The 24-year-old striker made the almost 40 mile trip down the Lancashire coast in the summer to join Pool from perennial League Two overachievers Morecambe for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of £180,000.

Redshaw had rejected a move to Peterborough United a year earlier after the two clubs agreed a fee for his services. But after hitting another 11 goals in 28 starts for the Shrimps he opted to head to Bloomfield Road for a fresh challenge.

The former Manchester City trainee has made an encouraging start to life in the third tier and tops the club’s scoring charts along with Mark Cullen (below) after hitting five in 12 league starts since his switch.

Born in Salford, Redshaw bounced around Greater Manchester after leaving City in 2008 and had spells with Rochdale, Salford City and Altrincham before eventually finding his feet at Morecambe, netting 36 times in just 76 starts for Jim Bentley’s side.

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Emmerson Boyce: Nine years and more the 250 league appearances at Wigan Athletic came to an end for the veteran centre-back in August as he joined Pool on a free transfer in time to make his debut in the opening day draw at Colchester United.

A former FA Cup winner with the Latics, 36-year-old Boyce began his career with local non-league side Aylesbury United before joining Luton Town’s School of Excellence and eventually becoming a scholar with the Hatters.

His form for the Bedfordshire side would catch the eye of Premier League Crystal Palace and in 2004 he made the jump from what is now League One to join the top flight Eagles.

A regular at the heart of the south Londoners’ defence during a two-year stay at Selhurst Park, he moved to Wigan for £1 million in 2006 following Palace's relegation and won the FA Cup whilst helping preserve the Latics’ top-flight status until 2013.

Used fleetingly during his final season at the DW Stadium, Boyce was released at the end of his contract this summer.

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Mark Cullen: Snapped up from League Two Luton Town for £180,000 in the summer, the former Hull City prospect quickly began to repay that fee.

With five goals in 16 league starts – including two on his debut at Colchester – the 23-year-old looks a good bet to continue the form at Kenilworth Road which persuaded Pool to splash out on his services.

Snapped up by former Barnet boss John Still in the summer of 2013 after being released by first club Hull, the Ashington-born striker managed eight league goals as Luton finally returned to the Football League.

But he stepped it up following promotion and added 13 in 33 starts as the Hatters agonizingly missed out on the League Two play-off places last season.

Cullen has previous experience in the Football League with loan spells at Bradford City and Bury.