Barnet boss Mark McGhee expecting an 'onslaught' from Newport County

The 60-year-old was appointed last week after leaving his role as Scotland assistant manager and his first game in charge was Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Port Vale.

And McGhee says he and his players will know what to expect from County.

“Port Vale constantly play the ball in behind [the defence] and apparently they [County] play like Port Vale but they maybe do it even better,” he said.

“We know what’s coming and we’re going to have to deal with that onslaught.

“I’ve got to get to know the players as quickly as possible so I will probably pick a slightly different team,” he added.

“Other people may get a chance or we might shift it around in the shape a little bit, looking at the way they play.”

Jamal Campbell-Ryce is fit enough to feature after playing against Vale.

Curtis Weston remains on the sidelines but is the closest to returning from injury.

Richard Brindley (foot), Elliott Johnson (knee) and Dave Tarpey (knee) are all out with ongoing injuries.

Former Exiles Jamie Stephens and David Tutonda could both be in the Bees’ starting XI.

Stephens joined Barnet from County in the summer of 2015 after two years at Rodney Parade.

He made just 13 appearances across all competitions in his time with the Exiles.

Since joining Barnet, he’s played nearly 50 games for the Bees, cementing himself as the number one keeper at the club.

Tutonda joined County on loan from Cardiff City in February 2015 until the end of the season.

He made 12 appearances during his time with the Exiles, scoring two goals and picking up one assist. He joined Barnet from Cardiff in January this year.

McGhee wants to instil a new way of playing after replacing previous head coach Rossi Eames.

“We have to work out a way of playing and a way of winning games,” he said.

“I think they’ve lacked a wee bit of confidence because of the run they’ve had but the effort and desire is there.

“Now we’ve got to hone it into a more technical and controlled performance.

“It can’t just be about effort. It has to be about other things as well. But if you don’t have that then you’ve got no chance.”

The last time the two sides met was in January, resulting in a 0-0 draw at The Hive London.

The last meeting at Rodney Parade was for a rearranged fixture in October last year that ended in a 2-2 draw.

County took the lead after half an hour through Ben Tozer before John Akinde scored a quickfire brace in the second half to give Barnet the lead with five minutes to play.

But Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro gave away a penalty with a minute left and Sean Rigg converted from the spot (above) to give both sides a point.