BARROW AFC will have a fight on their hands at Holker Street this weekend – that’s the verdict of manager Pete Wild.

The Bluebirds go into tomorrow’s home clash against Colchester United buoyed by a 2-0 midweek success against Gillingham.

That victory lifted Wild’s men back into sixth place in the League Two table and was a shot in the arm for their push for the play-offs.

Tomorrow’s visitors face a somewhat different battle at the wrong end of the table – one place above the automatic relegation spots.

But it is a battle nonetheless and Wild is expecting United to be up for the fight.

Speaking to The Mail, he said: “As much as it was a big game on Tuesday night I think this is a bigger game.

“If you look at it in terms of what happened to us last time against Forest Green (a 2-1 home defeat for Barrow against the relegation-threatened side last month).

“We know they are fighting for their lives. We know they have got loads of experience across their squad so it should be a tough game.

“They have brought in an experienced management team (boss Danny Cowley) and they have tried two or three different shapes.

“They are trying to find a way to win as many games and pick up as many points as possible to keep themselves above the line, so no-one is taking anything for granted.

“At this time of year you are playing for something, and their players will be playing for the careers and for their contracts, and to keep the football club in the league

“They have got so much riding of this game, just as we have, so it makes for a really tough encounter and a game we can’t take lightly.”

Wild has urged his players to carry their form from the midweek win over Gillingham into the clash with the U’s.

He added: “We did very well on Tuesday night and we need to keep that up for tomorrow’s game.

“We need to keep being the best version of ourselves and to keep pushing forward.”