BLUEBIRDS boss Paul Cox felt his side battled hard without producing their best in the stalemate against Gateshead.

Neither side mastered the conditions at Holker Street, as a strong wind blowing in off the Irish Sea made the ball difficult to control.

Both Barrow and Gateshead were guilty of giving possession away too often and failing to command the game, with AFC keeper Joel Dixon making two fine saves to deny the visitors from what were the only real chances of the match.

But Cox felt his team had put in a hard shift in a game he said they could have lost not so long ago.

“It was a night where the weather conditions affected the game,” he said. “Looking through our performance, I think there were a few tight bodies – we've covered a lot of miles, sleep patterns have been affected with getting back late and it wasn't the performance we have seen in the previous two games.

“That's disappointing at home, because we want to come and affect the game in a positive way.

“It's a game where I think maybe three, four, five weeks ago, we'd have probably lost. What I mean by that is our decision-making, our shape, our game management was a lot better tonight than I thought it would be when the team didn't play particularly well.

“Saying that, we have come up against a team who have a very good record away from home in their previous three or four games and who beat Grimsby on Saturday.

“The boys have worked hard in the second half without any real quality and that's something we have to build on.”

He added: “There were a few harsh words at half-time, because we have been quite dynamic in our performances of late. In the two away games, we have really put teams on the back foot and yet we come and play at home – where we want this to be a fortress – and I thought we looked a little bit leggy.

“It's the worst conditions to play in. Your technique with the ball and everything about it you have to change.

“We changed our tactics in the second half, because we had the wind coming down our throats in the second half.

“That's what disappointed me about the first half – we didn't really grab the game by the scruff of the neck and really put Gateshead under the pressure I think they thought they would be.”

The point against Gateshead was Barrow's third match unbeaten following the 2-1 win at Welling and the 2-2 draw at Woking.

That is the first time they have gone three games in the National League without defeat this season, though Cox is still hoping for better to come.

“I don't think we've seen the kind of performance I've been looking for, because I don't think tonight was a good performance,” he said. “But I think we are showing a stronger mindset.

“We spoke on Saturday about how we are going somewhere – our body language, the way we attack the game and overall game management is improving.

“We've got a long way to go and that's going to take time.

“I'd love us to be in a more advanced place, but we are where we are. There are some positives in there, but there are also some negatives and I think we can improve on a lot of things – managing the ball tonight, though I don't think there was much difference between the sides.

“I don't want to be too hard on the lads. They have worked extremely hard, they have covered some miles and we have got some good results away from home and this is a positive point for me.”