PAUL Cox was in upbeat mood after watching his Barrow side come through a stern examination from battling Kidderminster Harriers, writes ADAM MATTHEWS.

He described his team as ‘professional’ as they ignored the hustle and bustle of a team fighting for their lives. Although he did admit that the Bluebirds should have taken one of their several second-half chances in order to seal a win.

Cox said: “It’s never very nice to send a team down, but you have to be professional. I don’t think our first half performance was professional. We were a little erratic, a little off the pace.

“But after a team-talk at half-time, I thought we looked a more cohesive unit, and with all due respect, we should have scored from one of the chances that we created.

“It’s a good point away from home, because we were playing against a very dangerous animal today.”

Having been much happier with the second-half performance, in which Barrow controlled a scrappy game, Cox laid down the challenge for his players in the remaining two matches of the season.

“I’ve said to the boys that I want to finish the season in a professional manner and on a high,” he said.

Cox was forced to shuffle the pack due to Ritchie Sutton returning to parent club Tranmere Rovers ahead of the game due to a hamstring injury, and Dave Symington deciding to leave the club in order to pursue a career outside of football.

“If you look at the problems we had before the game, the side was a little disjointed, and with the substitution we had to make, with Danny Livesey going off, full credit needs to be given to the players, especially in the second half when they adapted to what we wanted from them,” he said.

“I’m over the moon if I’m honest. The icing on the cake would have been a goal, which I think we deserved.

“But I’ve said all along, if we pick up points away from home and win our home games, then that’s decent form.”

He was sympathetic with Harriers’ predicament, which sees them slip out of the National League only three years after missing out on promotion to the Football League by the finest of margins,

“Kidderminster is a fantastic club. There are some great people here and they have a great support,” he said.

“They’ve had some fabulous results lately. I’m not going to take any gratitude at seeing a club being relegated.”