Martin Allen has labelled Barnet’s 4-0 home defeat exactly a year ago by Saturday’s opponents, FC Halifax Town, as humiliating and highlighted the game as a watershed moment in his fourth spell.

The Bees saw their slim play-off hopes ended by Neil Aspin’s side at The Hive a year ago, shortly after Allen had returned to the club for his latest stint at the helm.

Fast-forward 12 months and Barnet are top of the Conference and host eighth-placed Halifax on Saturday looking to extend their one-point advantage over Bristol Rovers.

It has been a year of rapid progress for Barnet and speaking to the club website ahead of the game, Allen said: “Driving home from the Halifax game last year on the M25 I thought it was a defining moment really. They could have beaten us about 9-0.

“It was humiliating; I wouldn’t say embarrassing because it wasn’t really my group of players. That day I thought they were absolutely awesome and I have kept my eye on them since and been to watch them a few times.

“I knew from that day that I would need to do something different and we would have to change it, and God bless our chairman he has backed me all the way. The chairman deserves a lot of credit for actually getting the players here. I can recommend them but he has brought them in.”

Allen added: “I told him that night that this needs massive change rather than tweaking and that is what we have set out to do.”

The Bees head coach could be forced to shuffle his pack once more for the visit of the Shaymen, with defender Andy Yiadom and captain Charlie MacDonald both sitting out of the 1-0 win at Dartford on Bank Holiday Monday.

Yiadom missed the trip altogether after taking a kick in training over the weekend preceding the fixture, whilst striker MacDonald was on the bench but not named as a substitute after suffering a reaction to an earlier knee injury.

Allen stated afterwards he expected Yiadom to undergo a scan but there was no timeframe provided for either player.

He explained: “MacDonald did well in the game he played the other day (Nuneaton Town) but he has got a minor reaction to his knee problem.

“I could have risked him but I thought it was more important to have (Jon) Nurse on the bench today (at Dartford) with his physical presence, 100 per cent and raring to go, rather than risk Charlie who were are going to need before the end of the season.”

You can read our opposition profile on FC Halifax Town by clicking here.