News, stats and facts ahead of Barnet's first match of 2014 against Luton Town.
General Information
- Supporters who are not attending the match can watch every kick live at The Hive on BT Sport. Full details here.
- The club will be running a five stop coach service to Luton, for full details please click here.
- Supporters wishing to purchase tickets can do so on the day via the turnstiles.
- The Beech Hill Conservative Club is open to away supporters prior to the match.
- Please be reminded that kick-off is at 12pm.
Introduction
- Barnet travel to Luton Town on New Year’s Day looking to end a run of two successive defeats.
- The Bees were beaten 2-1 by the Hatters on Boxing Day before losing by the same scoreline against Salisbury City two days later.
- Luton followed up their win at The Hive with a 6-0 demolition of Kidderminster Harriers.
- The Hatters are currently flying in the Skrill Premier topping the table on 53 points.
- The Bees are currently sit ninth in the table but more importantly they remain just three points away from a play-off place.
- Edgar Davids, Carl Fletcher and Jon Nurse are all suspended for the match.
- The match will also see the Bees face former manager John Still who recently signed a new deal with Luton Town.
Team News
- Edgar Davids, Carl Fletcher and Jon Nurse are all suspended after picking up red cards over the festive period.
- Marciano Mengerink remains out through injury but Luisma Villa and Andy Yiadom could return after missing the 2-1 defeat to Salisbury City.
Last Time Out
28 December 2013
Skrill Premier
Luton Town 6-0 Kidderminster Harriers
Luton Town: Tyler, Henry, Ruddock (Howells 45), Davis, Griffiths, McNulty, Robinson, Guttridge, Lawless, Benson (Cullen 80), Gray.
Subs: Justham, Mawson, Wall.
Goals: Guttridge 28, 86 Benson 52 Howells 56 (pen), 70 Griffiths 79.
28 December 2013
Skrill Premier
Salisbury City 2-1 Barnet
Barnet: Stack, Stephens, Johnson, Byrne (Gambin 84), Marsh-Brown, Fletcher, Davids, Weston (Crawford 88), Vilhete (Acheampong 88), Hyde, Lopez.
Subs: Abdulla, Jupp.
Goals: Hyde 20
The Opposition
- Luton Town formed in 1885, they play their home matches at Kenilworth Road.
- Luton were the first club from southern England to turn professional making payments to players as early as 1890.
- They joined the Football League before the 1897-98 season but left in 1900 due to financial problems before returning in 1920.
- In 1955-56 they reached the First Division and contested a major final for the first time taking on Nottingham Forest in the 1959 FA Cup Final.
- The club was relegated in 1959-60 and demoted twice more in the following five years to the fourth division but they were promoted back to the top level by 1974-75.
- Town’s most successful period began in 1981-82 when they clinched the Second division title.
- They won the League Cup in 1988 beating Arsenal 3-2 and they remained in the first division until relegation at the end of the 1991-92 season.
- Between 2007 and 2009 financial difficulties cause the club to fall from the second tier of English football to the fifth in successive seasons.
- The last of those relegations came in the 2008-09 season when the club were docked 30 points for various financial irregularities.
- This ended the club’s 89-year spell as a member of the Football League and they have remained in the Conference since.
Manager
- Luton are managed by former Barnet manager John Still.
- Stiil had two spells in charge of Barnet between 1997-2000 and 2001-2002.
- During that time he took the Bees to the third division play-offs but lost 3-2 in the semi-finals to Colchester United in 1998.
- Two years later he led Barnet to the play-offs once again but they were once again beaten, this time by former employers Peterborough United.
- Still became Director of Football in November 2000 following the appointment of former England international Tony Cottee.
- Cottee left after losing 13 of his 19 games in charge and Still returned as manager but he was unable to prevent their relegation to the Conference.
- Still remained as Director of Football until the end of the 2001-02 season before leaving to become assistant manager of Bristol Rovers.
- Since leaving Barnet Still has also managed Dagenham & Redbridge winning promotion to League Two and League One.
