Jake Hyde, Barnet's 19-year-old newcomer striker, misses Saturday's pre-season friendly away to Blue Square Premier League side Ebbsfleet United with a groin injury.

Top scorer John O'Flynn, who has a torn muscle in his right foot, and defender Joe Devera, who has a left groin injury, are other casualties.

Ian Hendon is hopeful that Devera will be fit for next week's League 2 opener away to Lincoln City - "it's looking good" --and physiotherapist Mark Stein said that O'Flynn was "improving and responding to treatment and feeling a lot better".

Hendon will use this last pre-season game for a further look at Ryan O'Neill, the 19-year-old former West Ham United right back who played impressively at Billericay Town in midweek. He comes from the same village in Northern Ireland as Mark Hughes.

But the manager, who has to make decisions on finalising his squad this weekend, said:"It's not about trialists at Ebbsfleet it's about us". He says his side will play "full tilt".

Although Hendon says that he has not finalised his line-up for the opening League game the clues will be there at Ebbsfleet - even if the Bees play 4-3-3 rather than 4-2-4 on the day.

Dennis Signy