FOUR OUT BUT MAC IS BACK FOR BEES
TOP STRIKER Paul McCallum has handed Barnet a boost ahead of their play-off campaign – but it’s concerns at the other end of the field which have taken some sting out of the Bees’ tail.
The good news for boss Darren Currie is that former West Ham trainee McCallum has agreed to extend his loan deal with Solihull Moors and will lead the Barnet attack for the play-off eliminator with Yeovil Town.
But the Bees chief must also do without three of his four first-choice defenders after a number of players failed to agree contract extensions to see out the knockout phase.
Captain Dan Sweeney this week joined League Two Forest Green Rovers, while right-back Cheye Alexander too has left the Bees, linked with a move to a League One club.
Sweeney’s centre-back partner Callum Reynolds will also sit out the playoffs after failing to agree on a contractual situation with the club, similarly attacking midfielder Dan Sparkes.
The Bees returned to training last week in preparation for the clash with the Glovers and Currie was keen to hand his players credit for the physical condition they have returned in after lockdown.
“The attitude the boys have shown, there is a determination there that I love,” he told the club website. “Credit where it’s due, they have obviously looked after themselves in lockdown and they have come back in great condition.
“It means we can get ahead with what we planned for the four weeks going into the game so we can start moving things a little bit quicker.”
Sweeney, 26, joins Forest Green on a two-year deal and thus seals a return to the Football League having being part of the Barnet side which slipped back into NonLeague in 2018.