The National League has had a habit of bringing Barnet back down to earth with a bump in recent months.

The Bees made headlines with their run to the fourth round of the FA Cup, where they enthralled BT Sport viewers with a 3-3 draw against Brentford at The Hive before finally succumbing 3-1 to the Championship side in the replay.

They have since been knocked out of another cup competition, as they were beaten on penalties at AFC Fylde after a goalless draw last Saturday.

But it was their midweek match against Chesterfield where the stark reality of their situation was made apparent, as they meekly went down to a 2-0 home defeat against the Spireites, who went above them in the table as a result.

It was their sixth match without a win in the league and it left them languishing in 19th, just two points clear of the relegation zone, raising the spectre of a second successive demotion.

Barnet will point to them having five games in hand on the two teams below them – Dover and Havant & Waterlooville – but their supporters would surely rather have the points on the board.

Their manager Darren Currie was brutally honest about his side’s performance on Tuesday night.

He told the club’s website: “We’ve got a few injuries at the moment, but that’s no excuse. I’ll have to try a few other options.

“I’ve stood by these boys and I want to stand by these boys, but when we produce a performance that lacks quality like that, I have to reconsider.”

Tomorrow’s match against Barrow AFC continues a brutal schedule for the Bees, who will have to play nine games during March, while the game against Chesterfield was the first of six straight Tuesdays where they will be in action.

It is a chance for them to complete a league double over the Bluebirds, after they won the reverse fixture at Holker Street 2-0, thanks to first-half goals from Manny Duku and Wes Fonguck.