Martin Allen believes he would be crazy to make any new signings in January even though Barnet have made money available.

The Bees has placed Iffy Allen, Jamal Lowe and George Sykes on the transfer list whilst Adam Mekki is also free to leave the club. Goalkeeper Raphael Spiegel has returned to West Ham United due to injury after just one outing since joining on an emergency loan deal.

Bernard Mensah’s loan from Watford ends in the New Year, as does the agreement for Oxford United’s David Hunt, but Allen has categorically ruled out any new signings in the upcoming January transfer window.

He said: “There has been money available from the chairman for players to come in for about the last month. The chairman is offering money to get new players if we want them and I don’t want them. I don’t need them.”

Allen reasoned there is no need to tinker with a group which has taken Barnet to the Conference summit and built a seven-point lead before Christmas.

He mused: “These players have got us to where we are and it is our responsibility to see it through. What am I going to do, leave them out? Change them? Drop them? Could you imagine what they would be like in the dressing room and on the training pitch behind the scenes?

“What are you going to get to improve this lot? Someone tell me; someone find me the players to improve this team. You will have to pay a lot of money to get them here. I suppose it would be a bit weird or a bit mad.

“I could never ever do that to them. I believe in them, I am happy for all of them,” added Allen.

Luisma Villa, Lee Cook, David Stephens and Jon Nurse all missed Saturday’s goalless FA Trophy draw at Concord Rangers, with Bondz N’Gala serving a one-match ban as Allen dipped into the club’s table-topping Under-18 side and handed debuts to Harry Taylor, Joe Gater and Charlie Kennedy.

Fringe players including Sam Cowler, Keanu Marsh-Brown and Sam Muggleton were also afforded rare starts and all bar Marsh-Brown were involved once more on Tuesday evening as the Bees exited the competition 6-2 at the hands of the Beach Boys.

And with four games in nine days, Allen has told his squad will all be called upon over the festive period: “Those squad players have been brilliant, all of them, and I want to reward them for the training, work, commitment and positive attitude they have shown and I think they deserve to play at the weekend.

“More importantly we need them over Christmas because they will get games in our first team. We are not going to have the same team all through Christmas so the game against Dagenham & Redbridge on Tuesday (last week) and Saturday against Concord Rangers are two games to get match sharpness so they are ready to start in the first team over Christmas,” explained Allen.

Barnet resume league action on Saturday when they host Chester at The Hive.

The Bees thrashed Steve Burr’s side 5-0 on the opening day of the season and will welcome back their first team regulars apart from Marsh-Brown (thigh) and Nurse, who has sustained a medial ligament strain and will be ruled out for six to eight weeks.