Richard Money has been showing commendable faith in his squad so far, despite the blip in form, but the time has now come to act. With the loan regulations as they stand, we can now bring in players on long term loans to cover the remainder of the season and that is exactly what he has done, in an attempt to act from what is still a position of strength. Let’s hope it starts to bear fruit at home to Barnet tomorrow.

The club have already announced that Kevin Harper will go straight into the 16 for the game at Bescot, but it remains to be seen whether Kevin Cooper will as well. With DD obviously seeing the flanks as the major weakness, it’s likely that both wingers will get a start, a tantalising prospect to say the least. I hope for their sake that the Barnet full backs are up to scratch, as I think that Cooper and Harper could have a devastating impact at this level, if they are anything like up to form.

The injury to Ian Roper on Tuesday night was a blow the team could well have done without, especially as it now seems that he’s likely to be out for the rest of the season. Whatever our best centre back partnership is, of those available to Dicky Dosh, Roper is certainly one of the two names you first think of.

If the 16 is anyone’s guess, the starting eleven will be even more so, but I’d be looking at something like:

Ince, Westwood, Gerrard, Dann, Fox, Harper, Dobson, Keates or Pead, Cooper, Butler, Sam.

The bench would then look consist (probably) of:

Bossu, Lyall, Wright, Cederqvist and Pead or Keates.

All of that, of course, supposes that there won’t be any further reinforcements announced this afternoon. With the news about Roper and Picken still not ready, a defender arriving wouldn’t be out of the question.

As for Barnet, they will be without Ismail Yakubu, as the centre back picked up a thigh strain last week and former Mansfield striker Adam Birchall is unlikely to be fit, after his lay off. Goalkeeper Lee Harrison will still be missing as well.

Barnet is hardly a team full of household names, with striker Grazioli, veteran Paul Warhurst (once of Manchester City, Bolton and Oldham amongst many others) and former Gillingham player-manager Andy Hessenthaler the only really well known players. The 40-odd year old Hessenthaler was a sub on Tuesday night and plays most of his games nowadays coming off the bench, but Warhurst has been a regular this season. Partnering Grazioli in the last game was one interesting player, in the shape of Oliver Allen, son of ex Spurs and QPR prolific scorer, Clive Allen. He scored his first goal for the club in what was his first full appearance, needless to say.

Predictions?

Well, Barnet certainly did us a favour on Tuesday night, by defeating Swindon 1 – 0 at Underhill, but that was their first win in seven games, as Paul Fairclough’s team have struggled this season.

They have an away record of :

Played 17, Won 3, Drawn 6, Lost 8, For 16, Against 26, points 15.

Although they have lost fewer than half the games they’ve played away, a mere 16 goals from 17 games tells its own story. I’ll go for a home win, with a long afternoon in store for their full backs.

The second arrival in the mid season revolution has arrived at Bescot, in the shape of former Wolves winger Kevin Cooper.

The left winger has been at Cardiff recently, but has been unable to break his way into the team at the Championship high flyers.

Like yesterday’s arrival, Kevin Harper, he started out in England at Derby County, before moving to Stockport County. He later went to Wolves and Wimbledon in big money transfers.

It would seem that Richard Money has decided that the wings are the major problem in our current lack of creativity.