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Match Preview: Barnet v Leyton Orient

Barnet v Leyton Orient

Sky Bet League Two

The Hive

Saturday 9th April 2016

Kick Off: 15:00

Barnet: The Bees 4-2 defeat to Morecambe last Saturday came at the end of a successful Easter period for Martin Allen’s side. Barnet drew 1-1 away at Exeter City and beat Luton Town 2-1 at The Hive. However the Bees form has been somewhat inconsistent in the last couple of months; winning four, drawing three and losing three of their last ten games. That puts them 11th in the League Two form chart (last eight matches), with the 6th best home record in the fourth tier.

Leyton Orient: The O’s are involved in a tightly contested race for the playoffs, going into their visit to The Hive. They are 9th in League Two, but only two points separate 7th – 11th place. Orient’s form has been mixed of late – they drew with York City last weekend (1-1) and lost the two games before that, to Accrington Stanley and Hartlepool United. The East Londoners will be desperate to get back to winning ways on Saturday, going into the crucial final stages of the season. They are 10th in the division’s form chart (last eight games) and have the 11th best record on the road in 2015-16.

In The Dugout:  Kevin Nolan is a name well-known to football fans, having starred for Bolton Wanderers, Newcastle United and West Ham United from 1999 to 2016. During that time the midfielder captained all three clubs; playing 593 games and scoring 111 goals. He won promotion to the Premier League with the Trotters, the Magpies and the Hammers, before joining Leyton Orient as player-manager in January of this year. This is Nolan’s first season in the hot seat, but he is enjoying life at Brisbane Road – the former England U21 international has a win rate of 50% across 14 matches. 

Dangerman:  Jay Simpson has been amongst the division’s top goal scorers for the entire season, and currently has 23 goals in 43 appearances. The former Arsenal man is enjoying his most prolific campaign to date, having joined Orient from Thai side Buriram United in 2014. He has previously spent time on loan at Millwall, West Bromwich Albion and Queens Park Rangers, as well as spending three seasons with Hull City from 2010-2013. Simpson has played in the Premier League – making 13 top flight appearances while at West Bromwich Albion, and scoring one goal. His only piece of silverware to date is the Kor Royal Cup, which he lifted with Buriram in 2014. 

Last Meeting: Barnet’s first game back in the Football League this season was against the O’s. Unfortunately the Bees were beaten at Brisbane Road, thanks to two goals in one second half minute. Jay Simpson opened the scoring in the 74th minute, before Paul McCallum doubled the home side’s lead less than 60 seconds later. You can read the report from that match here.

Ticket Details: You can book tickets in advance of the game online here. Tickets can be bought on the day of the match, but only at the Ticket Office. It is recommended to arrive early to avoid queues.

Please note that ticket scanners in the West Stand (Turnstiles 1-6) and South Terrace (S1 & S2) are now positioned the other way round, in an attempt to fix some problems that we encountered during the Luton Town match.

Travel: You can get to and from The Hive by taking our Shuttle Bus service. To find out more and to check the bus timetable, click here.

Food & Drink: Grazioli’s Bar (under the West Stand) will be open from 12:30, and will be serving our range of top quality burgers. West Ham United v Arsenal is the televised early kick-off on Saturday, so why not head down to the ground early and enjoy a pre-match beer before the game?

Player of the Year: Don’t forget that our Player of the Year awards are taking place in the Amber Suite after the match! Tickets are just £5 for members and £10 for non-members, including a hot meal and entry into a raffle! For more information click here.

Prize Draw: Tickets for the Amber Triple Chance Draw are available for just £1. You could win a guaranteed first prize of £200, a £300 Jako voucher in our monthly draw, and be entered in an end-of-season draw for a year’s free Bees Membership! You can get tickets from our sellers around the ground.

Follow The Match: If you can’t get to The Hive, you can listen to full commentary of the match on Bees Player HD. We’ll also have live twitter updates throughout the game, and a match report & post-match reaction on barnetfc.com.