MONDAY: The players spend Christmas Day morning training and the evening in a Worthing hotel in preparation for the Boxing Day battle at Barnet.

Matthew Wicks fails to recover from a hamstring strain and Bobby Zamora is suspended, so Micky Adams decides to recall Andy Crosby and Nathan Jones.

TUESDAY: Albion complete a hat-trick of 1-0 wins at Underhill to stay firmly on course for promotion. Gary Hart, deputising for Zamora through the middle, grabs the only goal for the second season running with a volley from eight yards following a corner routine.

Paul Watson hits a penalty over the bar two minutes earlier and Barnet finish with ten men, Warren Goodhind seeing red in stoppage time for a second bookable offence.

WEDNESDAY: Hart celebrates his match-winning contribution.

"It was great for me to get another goal. That is my position at the end of the day, so I didn't find it strange playing there.

"I was trying to do Bobby's job by holding the ball up."

Adams says: "It was a terrific finish. I think Tony Cottee (Barnet player-manager) would have been pleased with that one. That's where I like to see my strikers, inside the box."

THURSDAY: Zamora shrugs off recent transfer talk.

"It's quite a com-pliment, but being at Bristol Rovers I saw Jason Roberts and Jamie Cureton getting so much hype and nothing ever came of most of it.

"I know a lot of it is rubbish, but to know Cardiff have put a bid in is nice."

FRIDAY: Albion's trip to promotion rivals Rochdale is hit by the big freeze. A lunchtime pitch inspection at Spotland sees Saturday's game postponed.