Barnet's caretaker management duo of Rossi Eames and Henry Newman are still taking things “one game at a time” but are fast stepping up their claims for a shot at the club’s top job.

Their good form at the helm continued with a third win from five in Saturday’s 3-1 victory at Leyton Orient, which propelled the Bees into the play-offs for the first time since August.

They may not have expected a three-minute double salvo from new centre-back Ricardo Santos to provide the impetus for their victory, especially as the Portuguese defender doubled his professional goal tally with the brace.

All four goals came in the final half-hour and Orient got themselves back into contention with Paul McCallum’s finish 10 minutes from time. But Curtis Weston sealed three points in injury time after Jamal Campbell-Ryce had struck the crossbar.

Barnet had passed up a number of fine opportunities before the break, with John Akinde particularly profligate, but Eames was unconcerned about the match remaining goalless for so long.

He said: “I think we were threatening all game, and creating chances. It was only a matter of time before we scored.

“Sometimes you get frustrated but the important thing to do is to keep calm.  “The other mission was to keep switched on because they could hit us on the counter-attack, and if you don’t it can bite you in the behind. The back-line were very professional.”

Eames has remained odds-on favourite to take the job permanently ever since Martin Allen left The Hive on December 1, but caretaker partner Newman said after the Leyton Orient result: “We’re just going to keep going and speaking with the chairman on a daily basis.

“As far as he’s concerned we’re in charge and we’re cracking on; there’s no meeting planned, we’re enjoying it.

“We’re just concentrating on moving up the table and getting the results we need, which we have done in the past few games.”

Barnet next face league leaders Doncaster Rovers at The Hive on Saturday.