Since winning promotion back into the Football League, Martin Allen’s made Barnet a traditional tough to beat outfit. They’re not necessarily pleasing on the eye but they’re organised, fit, strong, direct and efficient, especially on home soil.
The Bees have comfortably consolidated in lower mid-table and built their campaign around their fantastic Hive home. In 17 fixtures as hosts, Barnet have W10-D3-L4 including nine clean sheets – five of which were achieved in their most recent six outings.
Had you placed a £10 bet on the Bees in each of those 17 home games, you’d be a cool £94 in profit with Allen’s troops having already beaten four of the current top-six whilst keeping their sheets clean.
But the Hertfordshire club are just as effective when welcoming bottom-half dwellers to The Hive. Barnet have W6-D1-L0 at home to sides in 13th and below, scoring at least twice on six occasions. So I’m snapping up odds of 2.05 on the Bees extending that record on Saturday.
Hartlepool make the long journey south and since starting their season with three successive victories, have slipped perilously close to the drop zone.
Ronnie Moore was dismissed and Craig Hignett has taken charge but Pools have claimed just W5-D4-L19 from 28 games – 0.68 points-per-game – and W2-D1-L10 on their travels.
All three of the Monkey Hangers road wins have come against bottom-three sides and they’ve managed a solitary shutout in 18 when playing away. Those 18 games have seen Hartlepool concede 37 goals at a rate of 2.05 goals-per-game. It’s seriously bleak.
There’s little respite in the performance data – only four sides have accumulated a lower shots-on-target ratio figure as guests – and although Hignett could provide the spark to turn their campaign around, I can see Barnet bullying them on Saturday and continuing their fine home form with a win.