Last season we started our League Two campaign with a run of 12 games without a win.

This was arguably the main reason for our relegation, with this abysmal start comparable to having a points deduction.

One reason for this I believe was a lacklustre pre-season. We played a total of five games but not one of them against opposition we could accurately judge the quality of the players by.

Our first game was a 6-0 humbling away to Burnham Ramblers, a side who were playing in the Essex Premier League - a side who were five levels below Barnet last season.

The next match was a comprehensive 10-2 win away to St Albans City. While their stadium is one of those small, comfortable, old-fashioned non-league grounds, they were not the type of opponents we should have been facing.

After exerting such superiority against far inferior opposition the tables turned.

A 4-1 defeat to Charlton Athletic at home was followed by a staggering 8-0 loss to another Championship side, play-off finalists Watford, in a friendly played behind closed doors.

The final game of pre-season was a 3-2 win away to Boreham Wood. They were the better side, and only Andy Yiadom's superb performance prevented a loss.

These five matches saw us score 20 goals and concede 16; an average of 7.2 goals a game.

We should have been facing sides of a similar level to us but we took on part-time clubs and top-half Championship teams.

This painted a misguided reflection of the team and we were unable to gain any real information about from these fixtures.

Delusional grandeur took over and we were left with arguably the worst Barnet side in recent times.

It's telling that Andy Yiadom was the only player to start the final pre-season friendly against Boreham Wood and the final game of the League Two season at Northampton Town.

Things sppear no different this season though. Four fixtures having been announced, we are again facing opponents who will not show the true nature of our team.

Trips away to Hemel Hempstead Town and St Albans City could represent two big wins, which could lead to us falsely believing that we are sorted in some positions.

Then we have games at home to Championship side Ipswich Town, and League One promotion contenders MK Dons.

These fixtures highlight a gulf in class and it will be hard to gain knowledge of the players.

After last year's quite frankly horrendous pre-season schedule, it looks like this season will be the same.

Our vast superiority and inferiority will be shown. It may give Davids a false blueprint of the team and what he needs to work on.

We just have to hope that these friendlies will not hamper us in the way they did last season.