MATCH PREVIEW: Lincoln City

Tomorrow, Barnet travel to play Lincoln City at Sincel Bank in the first match of the 2009/10 season. Since Barnet returned to the football league in 2005, they have lost all four meetings at Sincel Bank. In fact, Barnet have not won at Lincoln since 1996 when two Sean Devine goals gave the Bees a 2-1 win.

In the last two meetings at Underhill, Barnet have won 5-2, in 1998 and 3-2 last season. Only a late John O'Flynn goal gave the Bees three important points in March in a close fought match that left Lincoln boss, Peter Jackson speechless as he felt that if anyone deserved to win it was the Imps. That was perhaps a rather partial view as most Bees fans will have felt that Barnet deserved at least a draw.

From 2002/03 to 2006/07 the Imps made the play-offs in the league's 4^th tier but failed to win promotion each time. In 2007/08, Lincoln finished 15^th, perhaps suffering an understandable reaction from their failure to go up. Last season they finished 13^th. This season they will be looking to make a push for the play-offs but the club have lost a number of key players from last season.

Like a lot of League Two clubs, higher up clubs tend to pray on your best players. Long serving centre back, Lee Beevers has joined Colchester, influential midfield player Lee Frecklington has gone to Peterborough, Adrian Patulea has joined Leyton Orient while exciting winger, Dany N'Guessan has joined Leicester City. The Imps have also lost two loan players from last season; midfield player, Michael O'Connor has joined Scunthorpe while former Stevenage striker, Anthony Elding has returned to Crewe.

Obviously, these players will not have been easy to replace and manager, Peter Jackson has had to work with a reduced budget as well. In midfield, Jackson has signed the experienced Richard Butcher who was rather surprisingly released at the end of the season by Notts County. Butcher is a strong midfield player who can also score goals and will be an asset to the Imps.

Up front, Jackson has gone for a mixture of youth and experience. He has signed former Manchester United youngster Chris Fagan and the much more experienced, Paul Connor from Cheltenham. This week he added the services of Peterborough striker, Rene Howe. Howe has failed to break into the Posh line up since his move from Kettering two years ago and has been loaned out to Rochdale and Morecambe. He scored 10 goals for the Lancashire side last season but Lincoln will, I imagine, be hoping he is a bit more prolific for them this season if they are to challenge for the play-offs.

Whether or not, Lincoln have the squad to go the extra mile this season, I doubt it. They were never really in the mix last season and the loss of quite a few of their leading players would suggest that they may do well to finish as high again this season. The additions to the squad this summer are all good players but I don't think they will have the firepower up front to gain promotion or even make the play-offs in what is sure to be a competitive campaign.

Meanwhile, at Underhill, fans are excited about the news that Paul Furlong has signed on for the new signing and are looking forward to the renewal of his partnership with John O'Flynn. Many Bees' fans are surprised, though delighted, that Albert Adomah and O'Flynn are still at the club and ready to start the new season at Underhill. Barnet have been very fortunate so far they they have only lost the service of Neal Bishop to Notts County and fans have been delighted by Ian Hendon's summer signings such as the return to Underhill of keeper, Jake Cole and winger Yannick Bolasie. Hendo also appears to have unearthed a real gem in young Australian centre back, Daniel Leach who has greatly impressed everyone in the pre-season matches.

After last season's awful start following claims that the club were going to win promotion, both management and fans are understandably reluctant to make any predictions about the new season, but many are quietly confident about the Bees doing a great deal better than last season. While a number of fans' websites have been predicting doom and gloom for the Bees this season it is hard to see the club getting involve din any relegation struggle this time around and if the club can hang on to their best players, then it shouldn't be too over optimistic in saying that a top half place, at least, is possible.

For this Saturday's trip to Sincel bank, the home side will be without influential midfield player, Scott Kerr, who was rumoured to be a target for the Bees back in 2005 after the club returned to the league. Kerr has a knee injury.

Defenders, Gary Breen and Joe Devera should be fit to play for the Bees on Saturday and the only player likely to be missing is last year's leading scorer, John O'Flynn who is said to be making good progress.

The Barnet squad is now more or less at full strength with the signings of defenders, Ryan O'Neill, Ahmed Deen and Clovis Kamdjo as well as former PROTEC keeper, Phil Carpenter.

With O'Flynn missing the start of the season, Hendon will have to decide on whether to start with Furlong and new striker, Jake Hyde up front or play the formation that started against Ebbsfleet last Saturday. This involved a flexible 451 formation with Furlong up front and wingers, Adomah and Bolasie moving up to make a 433 formation when necessary. Barnet won 3-1 at Ebbsfleet with Adomah scoring twice and Furlong once. The central midfield was made up of Mark Hughes, Nicky Deverdics and Micah Hyde, the Bees' new captain. Jake Cole is expected to play in goal and with Devera and Breen expected to play, it is likely that the Bees will have a back four of Devera, Yakubu, Breen and Gillet.

Barnet have such a poor recent record at Sincel bank that it seems a little perverse in predicting anything other than a home win but, tempting fate I know, I will go for a 2-1 win for the Bees.