Barnet head coach Martin Allen believes Saturday’s comprehensive 3-0 win over Crawley Town shows the club has a bright future.

The Bees secured the victory thanks to two goals from the prolific John Akinde after Elliot Johnson had fired them into the lead from the edge of the box in the first half.

The nature of the win delighted Allen and he saved particular praise for the youngsters in his side who he feels offer a glimpse into the club’s positive prospects going forward.

“It was a performance that made me very proud, with so many young lads in our team,” Allen told the club’s website.

“Ross Eames [development squad coach] has been doing the work with those boys for quite a long time, and it’s been extremely physically demanding.

“I promised them an opportunity and I promised them they would get the chance to play.

“All these lads are good players, if they work hard and train hard then the future is bright.”

The result allowed Barnet to close out a triumphant first season back in the Football league in style as they controlled proceedings throughout.

While the final score on Saturday was convincing, it took Allen’s men until the 79th minute to seal the points as Akinde added to Johnson’s excellent driven finish.

Crawley had their chances as well, but all in all Allen felt he could reflect on a thoroughly professional display.

He said: “I thought we started a little bit slowly in the first 20 minutes – it took us a bit of time to get going.

“But then after that I thought that we played very well in the latter stages of the second half. In the second half we played with much more urgency and self-belief. We kept possession much better today too.”

Allen had said last week’s 4-3 defeat at home against Yeovil would mean he would be unable to give the Bees’ younger players a run out on the final day of the season.

He did, however, manage to field a number of his young prospects and spoke glowingly of the enthusiasm they brought to the changing room.

“There is a lovely atmosphere with our fans, and I saw a lot of them before the game,” Allen said.

“I hope that the Barnet supporters absolutely loved it today – coming here to see so many 17 and 18-year-olds wearing Barnet shirts in the first team, playing the way they did.

“I personally loved having them on the pitch and in the dressing room. They bring energy, they’re enthusiastic and they’re good players. You’ve got to remember they won the under-18s league last year.”