Michael Gash acknowledges he may have had some luck working his way into Martin Allen’s starting XI at Barnet and feels his burgeoning partnership with John Akinde has clicked with ease.

The duo have begun four of Barnet’s last five Conference fixtures together whilst Charlie MacDonald has been sidelined with a calf problem.

Gash joined the Bees from Kidderminster Harriers during the January transfer window and head coach Allen declared upon his arrival at The Hive he would not break up the pairing of Akinde and MacDonald. 

However, fate has intervened and Gash has seized the opportunity with both hands, scoring three goals in his first five starts for the club.

“I have maybe had a little bit of luck getting into the team with Charlie Mac (MacDonald) having an injury and John Akinde getting sent off,” admitted Gash.

“But the whole team – whoever the gaffer picks to start the game – if you are on the bench or in the stand you are confident that team can do a job and no-one is in a mood if they are not in the team, everyone backs each other – there is a great camaraderie.”

Gash and 31-goal Conference top-scorer Akinde have struck up an understanding which appears to grow by the week and the former Cambridge United hitman insists it has come naturally rather than from hours of work on the training pitch.

He explained: “It has just kind of clicked. I said earlier in the week there is John and Charlie and whichever one I am to play with I am happy to because they are both good players.

“Charlie Mac is experienced, has played at a high level and is a very good player. John is our main threat and he has done fantastically this season.

He added: “We can’t just score goals as forwards – it has to start through the back with Stacky (Graham Stack), the whole back four and the whole midfield.”

Strike partnerships, whilst dying out, are traditionally comprised of an archetypal ‘big man’ and a ‘small man’ alongside him.

But neither Gash nor Akinde are small men, so what bearing does that have on how the union works?

“I think it does [change our roles] a little bit,” mused Gash. “It might help us a little bit because the centre-halves don’t know or the midfielder dropping on our toes does not which of us to go to.

“At the same time, anyone who plays there will try and do a job for the team – that is the most important thing.”

The win over the Shaymen saw vice-captain Curtis Weston on the scoresheet for the fifth time in the Bees’ last seven games and Gash was full of praise for the willing midfield runners.

He stated: “Halifax had two tough, physical centre-halves you are not going to win every ball so there are going to be knock-downs. To have a midfield that will read that, squeeze up the field and get on those knock-downs it is something you rely on instead of the other team picking the ball up, turning and playing.

“I think we did that really well and as a team we pushed up from the back and did not let them get on the ball.”

You can read Martin Allen’s thoughts on the victory by clicking here.