Edgar Davids has expressed his hope that Barnet can tie Dani Lopez down to a permanent deal after his loan expiry.

The Spanish striker scored a spectacular strike against Alfreton Town, securing The Bees a valuable 1-0 win in his last game for the club before returning to League One side Stevenage.

Barnet joint head-coach Davids said that he would love to see the former Atletico Madrid youth hitman extend his stay at the club, declaring: “We are trying to keep him at the club but that is going to be a hard task.”

The praised was heaped on Lopez by his temporary boss, who revelled in his goal against a strong Alfreton side, affirming: “The goal is the kind of thing you expect from him. As we say in Holland, he pulled a rabbit out of a hat.

“They (Alfreton) have a solid tactic, a solid squad and are third in the table so it was never going to be easy. With the chances we created we have to be more clinical, and more determined, to score.”

The win against Alfreton lifts the Skrill Premier side up to 6th place, missing out on a play-off place to Halifax Town by virtue of goals scored.

And Davids still believes his side can find themselves perched in the top five come the end of the season, adding: “If we play how we can play, then definitely. I think that we have a very good system now to keep out opponents.”