ANDY Parry and Alex-Ray Harvey have a lot more to offer Barrow AFC next season.

Manager Paul Cox is happy the duo have signed new one-year deals at Holker Street – with appearance-based options for a second season – and expects both to build on a solid second half of the 2015/16 campaign.

Parry arrived at Holker Street in January from League Two Luton Town on a loan deal which eventually became a contract until the end of the season after his release by the Hatters.

He established himself as first choice in the centre of midfield and also impressedin the final weeks of the campaign at both full-back and centre-half as injuries struck the AFC squad.

Harvey, meanwhile – who is now the longest-serving member of the Barrow playing squad, having signed in summer 2012, following a loan spell from Burnley – came to the fore in the last six weeks of the season.

Having been on the substitutes’ bench or out of the squad since January, he upped his game and impressed Cox with some high-calibre appearances alongside Parry in midfield.

They were enough to earn him the offer of a new contract and the Barrow manager was pleased to see both players accept them.

“I’m really pleased with these two,” said Cox. “Al-Ray Harvey was probably one of the most improved players at the football club over the second half of the season.

“I’ve had numerous talks with the lad and I love his enthusiasm and his desire to become better. That probably just needed channelling in the right way and he has given a great response to what we wanted from him.

“I think he’s going to get better. I’m looking for a more consistent approach from him on a day-to-day basis and I think he’s a really positive signing.

“He deserved another contract on his performances from the latter stages of the season.

“Andy Parry, I think we probably took him at his worst physical state, having not played a lot of football for Luton.

“I felt as the season went on he got stronger and the big benefit is he can play in numerous positions and not just as a makeshift, but as we saw last season, very well.

“I have spoken to Andy about his strength and conditioning and coming back in a better shape.

“That will come through having a good end to the season, getting games under his belt and having a good pre-season.

“I think we will see better players in this coming season than we saw last year, which could be very frightening when you look at the consistency they produced in the latter stages of the season.”

With Parry and Harvey signing new contracts and Steve Williams turning down the chance to stay in order to join AFC Fylde, only Elliot Newby remains of the quartet offered new terms by Cox at the end of the season.

The pair have yet to fully resolve the situation, but Cox is confident the Barrovian youngster will be on board, and said: “We’ve missed each other’s calls and we just need to sit down and clarify that everything is okay with terms before we push forward.

“There is still a bit to iron out with Elliot, but I don’t see there being any stumbling blocks.”

Cox is also still waiting to speak with Niall Cowperthwaite. The utility defender/midfielder – whose season was ended by injury in January – is due to speak with the AFC manager soon.