Top-scorer John Akinde and goalkeeper Graham Stack are doubts for Barnet’s trip to Grimsby Town on Saturday (12.45pm).

Speaking on Tuesday, Barnet head coach Martin Allen refused to confirm whether the duo had recovered from knocks suffered during the festive period.

He Allen said: "Elliott (Johnson) won’t be fit for this weekend and we have got another two players who are struggling but hopefully they will be OK for Saturday."

The Bees boss would not reveal who the struggling duo were and was unable to confirm when asked whether Akinde and Stack had regained fitness after suffering injuries over Christmas and the new year.

Allen did confirm left-back Johnson had suffered a hamstring strain in the Bees’ 4-1 loss at Lincoln City. The defender is expected to be unavailable for two to four weeks.

Player-coach Jon Nurse is still sidelined, though Allen did provide an update on the 33-year-old: "Nursey is having some treatment in a clinic in London for his knee. He is probably about a month away," explained Allen.

Barnet were beaten heavily last time out, losing at Lincoln City on January 4 – a defeat which saw the Bees' lead at the summit cut to six points, with Bristol Rovers in hot pursuit.

However Allen refused to build up Saturday's televised clash at Cleethorpes.

He stated: "It is the same as any other game. Nothing is going to change. We can’t do more training and I can’t kneel in front of everybody and beg them to do better.

"We are never going to be patting ourselves on the back or popping champagne corks. And if it does not go right at certain times, we won’t be banging our heads against the wall as if it’s a disaster.

"There are loads of games to play and loads of challenges from the teams below. We know we are there to be shot at."

After playing five times in 15 days during the festive period, the Bees had a free weekend after being knocked out of the FA Trophy in December and the players were given the weekend off.

Allen said: "It has done everybody good to not see each other for a couple of days and have a break, have a weekend off and now it is full-on all the way through until the end of the season.

"There was no point in bringing them in every day; it would be a waste of time. What do you do? Do you keep doing defending, attacking or working on their ball skills, set plays or team play? The most important thing is to keep their minds alive and bright and looking after their bodies," he mused.

Whilst the squad were putting their feet up on Saturday, Allen used the time productively: "I have been up to Grimsby to watch them play against Gateshead [in the FA Trophy]. So that was a nice Saturday of seven-and-a-half hours in the car," he chuckled.

"But there is no way I could just have sat at home. I was going to go to Eastleigh on Saturday afternoon to watch them play Lincoln but I thought it would be better to watch Grimsby."

The Mariners drew 0-0 at home and had been set to replay the Heed in Tyneside on Wednesday but the game was postponed.

Asked what he had learned from his trip to Blundell Park for the Mariner's draw with the Tynesiders, Allen replied: "They are good side who play some good football. They are a tidy team who have some good players and it was not long ago, only a few weeks ago, they were in second place.

"We know they are difficult, but I think every supporter will recognise now that with the great runs that Dover, Southport and all these teams down the bottom of the league have put together, there is no easy game to be played between now and the end of the season."