IN years gone by, a point late on at a ground like Leyton Orient’s would have seen a manager shower his players with compliments.

So it is perhaps telling and a form of comfort for Barrow AFC fans that the superlatives were not forthcoming, despite a spirited show and a controversial afternoon in E10.

For two reasons, mainly.

Manager Ian Evatt focussed a lot of his post-match conversation on the officials, who got many things wrong in the capital.

Also, he does not see a point at Brisbane Road as something to be particularly proud of. Especially after his side went ahead early on.

Evatt clearly sets his requirements high, and although he accepts his team did well to put Tuesday’s defeat to FC Halifax to bed, he knows there is room for improvement.

“We have to get better and we will get better,” the manager said. “I have said to the players that it’s all very well going away from home and getting a point, but the standards I set for them, and the standards they set themselves, we expect better.

“We expect to win every game we play, and it was certainly there for the taking for us today at certain stages. I just don’t think we were quite there like we have been in recent games.

“To come away with a point is bittersweet, but we will takes the positives away and try and learn from the mistakes we made.”

Evatt was quick to point out others’ mistakes.

Referee Tom Reeves and his assistants were the subject of much debate. Although Orient manager Justin Edinburgh saved himself some money by refusing to discuss matters, the Bluebirds manager did not adopt such a cautious approach.

Evatt conceded his team got the rub off the green five minutes from time, but questioned why they didn’t have a “blatant” penalty when Nathan Waterston was floored by Luke Coulson.

“We kept getting embroiled in a physical battle and I keep saying to the players that we’re not built for that,” Evatt said. “We got involved in a little bit of gamesmanship and we didn’t need to.

“What that did was get the crowd going and we didn’t really need that what with the number of people inside the stadium. We have enough about us to stick to playing football.”

Evatt did not hold back when discussing the match officials.

“It’s incredible really,” he said. “This is people’s livelihoods that are on the line here. The players’ jobs, the managers’ jobs. Fans have paid £100 to come down and see this.

“They deserve to have a referee who can make the right calls. For both teams there were some very bad decisions.

“We have had a stonewall penalty turned down, and their goal for 2-1 is miles offside. Orient will feel the equaliser should never have stood, but two wrongs don’t make a right.

“You just can’t get those decisions wrong. It’s people lives, a club’s progression.”

Next it is a visit from Chesterfield to Holker Street tomorrow night, a club where Evatt spent many years as a player and even a short spell in caretaker charge.

“I have got a lot of happy memories from my time there and it still hard to get your head around the club being relegated,” Evatt added.

“But I’m the manager of Barrow now and my focus is getting a second home win and bringing their great early season form to an end.”