TT MATCH PREVIEW
Steve Harris – @SteveHarris84
Match details: Barnet versus Torquay United
Venue: The Hive, Harrow
Date: Saturday 30th January 2021
Kick-off: 3pm
Current form (last six all competitions):
Barnet: L, L, L, L, L, L
Torquay United: W, W, L, W, D, D
Top scorers:
Barnet: JJ Hooper 4
Torquay: Danny Wright 8
Head to Head:
Barnet: 12
Draw: 10
Torquay: 11
Last time the two teams met: Barnet 2-2 Torquay Monday 26th August 2019
Barnet came from two goals down to earn a point at home to Torquay in the National League thanks to Jack Taylor’s late strike which snatched a 2-2 draw.
The visitors looked on course for a third-straight win as they went in at half-time two goals up following Jean-Yves Koue Niate’s fifth-minute opener and a fine long-range finish from Armani Little on the half-hour mark. But the Bees fought back after the interval and pulled a goal back through Ephron Mason-Clark’s effort.
The home fans were then treated to an 88th-minute equaliser as Taylor collected a pass from Mason-Clark before slotting a low finish past Lucas Covolan to earn a share of the spoils.
Manager: Tim Flowers
A Premier League winner with Blackburn Rovers in the 1994-95 season, Flowers was one of the top goalkeepers in English football during the 1990s and won 11 caps for England. Flowers was also a Worthington Cup winner with Leicester City in 2000, when the Foxes beat Tranmere Rovers 2-1 with former Gulls defender Matt Elliott netting twice.
After working as a goalkeeper coach with Leicester City and Manchester City, Flowers served as an assistant manager to Iain Dowie at Coventry City and Hull City before embarking on his first managerial role with Stafford Rangers in October 2010. He then became a goalkeeper coach at Northampton Town under a certain Gary Johnson, and even had a game in charge as caretaker manager following Johnson’s dismissal by the Cobblers in November 2011. Flowers then remained at the Sixfields Stadium under Johnson’s successor Aidy Boothroyd before leaving the club following the appointment of Chris Wilder as Northampton manager.
He returned to management on a full time basis in 2018, when he became manager of Solihull Moors. Flowers remained in charge of the Moors until January 2020, when he left the club by mutual consent, and also had a short-lived stint in charge of Macclesfield Town prior to his appointment as Bees manager in December 2020.
One to watch: Scott Loach
Former England Under-21 goalkeeper Scott Loach is currently in his second season at the Hive after joining the Bees from Hartlepool United in 2019. After starting his career with Lincoln City, Loach joined Watford in 2006, for whom he made 163 appearances across six years until he moved to Ipswich Town in 2012. He later had spells with Rotherham United and Notts County, as well as loan stints with Bury, Peterborough United, Yeovil Town and York City before signing for Hartlepool in 2017.
Probable line-ups:
Barnet (4-4-2):
Scott Loach
Alexander McQueen – Themis Kefalas – Liam Daly – Ben Richards-Everton
Ephron Mason-Clark – James Dunne – Harry Taylor – Jerome Binnom-Williams
JJ Hooper – Alfie Pavey
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