Barnet manager Dean Brennan talks up his side's "phenomenal" home record ahead of visit of Hartlepool United

Pools are preparing for one of their toughest tests of the campaign as they travel to a Bees side who are unbeaten at home all season.

Barnet thumped strugglers Maidenhead 3-0 on Saturday to move back to the top of the National League table, one point clear of Forest Green Rovers and three ahead of York.

Brennan's side have been in imperious form of late and are unbeaten in their last 13 league games as they bid to win promotion back to the Football League.

However, Pools are no pushovers and have themselves only lost two of their last 14 matches under Lennie Lawrence, albeit seven of those have been draws, including their last two games against Wealdstone and Woking.

When the sides met in November, Barnet had a late goal ruled as Pools secured a hard-fought point in a 0-0 draw at the Prestige Group Stadium. Brennan was left seething with referee Aaron Bannister after the game, suggesting his side should have had a penalty and that Adebola Oluwo's goal was "chalked off for no reason".

While Pools produced a spirited performance that day, they'll likely have to be even better on Tuesday night given Barnet's impressive home record. The Bees have won 11 and drawn three of their 14 league matches at The Hive and are the division's leading scorers with 57 goals.

Lennie Lawrence challenged his side to be "competitive" in North West London and Pools will be under no illusions as to the size of the task ahead of them. Even a point would be a huge result.

After failing to make the most of their man advantage against Woking on Saturday, Pools are just starting to feel a bit of pressure and are at risk of losing more ground on their play-off rivals tomorrow night. In all likelihood, Tuesday's game will not define their season; Pools must beat relegation-threatened Braintree this weekend and make the most of three home games in a row next month.

However, Pools will want to at the very least give a good account of themselves and Brennan, who has been in charge of Barnet since 2021, is full of respect for Lennie Lawrence and his side.

"When we're at it, at times we can be unplayable," he told the club's official website.

"Our record here over the last few years has been phenomenal really. The main thing for us is about standards.

"It's great to be top of the division but my focus is on Hartlepool. We've got 18 cup finals left. Tuesday is a huge game for us.

"They're a well organised team, they haven't lost many games in the last two or three months.

"They've got a very experienced manager, they're a very experienced team. We had a really tough battle against them up there not too long ago and there are no easy games in this division. They've got a lot of threats and they're a very difficult team to play against, so we'll respect them."