Maidstone United visit Barnet in the National League with both sides looking for their first win in six games

Two out-of-form teams meet tonight when Maidstone visit Barnet in the National League.

After promising starts to the season, both sides are without a win in five before this evening’s fixture at the Hive.

The Bees have slipped to 14th on the back of their winless run, with United dropping to 18th.

Barnet were thrashed 5-0 at home by York on Saturday, while the Stones lost the late kick-off 3-1 at Boreham Wood.

The visitors hope to have striker Jack Barham available to face his former club but defender Joe Ellul looks likely to miss out after suffering a suspected fractured cheekbone at the weekend and Roarie Deacon serves a one-game ban following his red card.

Maidstone manager Hakan Hayrettin won the Conference as a player with Barnet under Barry Fry but this is no time for sentiment.

He said: “I had some good times there but I work for the other amber now.

“Maidstone’s my club and we’ve got to go there and turn our fortunes around. We’ve got to work hard.

“They’re on a run without a win, the same as us, we’ll see what happens.”

Meanwhile, long-serving sports therapist Beth Cooper has announced she has left Maidstone after five years.

“It takes a lot to make me speechless, as the team would know, but today got me good,” she wrote on her Facebook business page, Body Care Sports Therapy, adding she was “grateful for the amazing people I’ve had the privilege of working with and getting to know so well”.