Gary Waddock – who won the Conference in 2008 with Aldershot – has agreed a month-to-month contract as a coach with Barnet.

The 52-year-old, who was manager of Oxford United last season, has been helping head coach Martin Allen with the coaching on an ad-hoc basis, but has now joined the Bees as a full-time member of staff.

“It is strange really as I’ve been here since pre-season so it is not my first day or anything like that but I’m delighted," enthused Waddock. 

“The way that the players go about their business on the training ground – they have taken that into games and have had a fantastic start. I’ve been to most of the home games so I have been able to watch them perform and with the support that the players are getting as well they are right behind the team so at the moment everything is ticking along nicely."

He continued: “The players and Martin have started this season off really well and put themselves in a good position so confidence amongst the group is very high and there is a real togetherness amongst the group as well so there is a fantastic feel about the place. 

And Allen believes Waddock’s experience in the Conference will be an asset: “He has won the Conference with 101 points as manager of Aldershot, he has won promotion with Wycombe Wanderers and he has done an excellent job as a coach at MK Dons, where the people there gave him a fantastic reference.

“We have done well to get him on board, because he has got the experience of getting 101 points in the Conference. He is a good coach and I have now got a full-time member of staff, which is good news obviously for me,” he added.

Allen has been without a full-time member of staff to assist him and had previously invited former Leeds United and Luton Town boss Kevin Blackwell to help with coaching at The Hive. Now though, he will benefit from Waddock’s support.

“It is going to be big help to me,” confirmed Allen. “In the summer we gave Nursey and Stacky a player-coach role and nothing is going to change with those two. Graham Stack and Nursey have worked extremely long hours. Stacky and Nurse have stepped up; they both have an opinion, they both have challenged me, helped me, supported me and given me guidance. Both of them have been absolutely spot-on.

“Now all three of them will work together; there are no levels of seniority between the three of them. All three of them are coaches, all three of them are top people and all three of them will be there to help me, support me and look after me to help me manage it.”

Waddock, who played alongside Allen at Queens Park Rangers, also turned out for Millwall and Luton Town and won 21 caps for the Republic of Ireland.

The Kingsbury-born midfielder was handed his first managerial job in February 2006 when he succeeded Ian Holloway at Loftus Road after Holloway was placed on gardening leave.

After keeping the R’s in the Championship, Waddock was appointed as Holloway’s permanent successor, but stepped back into his role as assistant in September 2006 following a poor run of results.

In 2007, Waddock returned to management with Conference outfit Aldershot Town, and it was there he had his first real taste of success, winning promotion to the Football League as champions – an achievement which saw him named Conference manager of the year.

After Wycombe Wanderers sacked Peter Taylor in 2009, Waddock moved to Adams Park, but was unable to halt the slide into League Two, winning promotion and overseeing a second relegation before being sacked in September 2012.

Following Chris Wilder’s defection to Northampton Town, Waddock took up the reins at Oxford United in March of this year, but could not help the U’s reach the play-offs and was released following a change of ownership.