Martin Allen has promised to field a strong side in the FA Trophy this weekend, as Barnet travel to Concord Rangers on Saturday for their first round tie.

However, the manager did reveal that they will be missing certain first team players after bringing supporters all of the latest injury news:

“We currently have a few players that are nursing knocks – Jon will be out for six to eight weeks after the scan on Monday which is a big blow to all of us. He is a popular, effervescent character and off the field he has been a terrific help to all of the players and myself.

“Cookie and Luisma are also not fit enough to play.”

As a result, Martin said that he will be fielding a team made up of both senior and Youth Team players, who have caught the eye throughout the season after rising to the top of their Football League Youth Alliance division:

“We are going to have a strong team on Saturday with some players that played at Torquay, some players that were on the bench at Torquay, and some of our Youth Team players that have done so well in recent games and played so well against Dagenham on Tuesday.

“I think it is important that everybody knows before they buy their ticket exactly what I am doing, because I don’t want anybody to knock back on our door afterwards.

“This is a strong team, but it is important from my point of view that everyone in our squad gets to play and we also get to see the emergence of some of these young players as well which is important for their futures.”

Martin finished by saying that he is expecting a tough test from the Conference South side, who have been in free-scoring form recently whilst also progressing past Grays Athletic in the Essex Senior Cup this week:

“Concord Rangers in their last two games have scored eleven goals without conceding one so they are obviously on a great run and have got plenty about them. They beat the league leader Boreham Wood 4-0 and then Farnborough the other day 7-0.

“Without a shadow of a doubt the team that we have worked on on Tuesday, with a few little changes today and tomorrow will be ready to go there on Saturday and give a good account of ourselves against an in-form team.”