BRINGING in more strike power as soon as possible is key for Barrow AFC boss Paul Cox as he looks to pull his side up the National League table.

The Bluebirds head to Welling United on Saturday hoping to put more daylight between themselves and one of the sides sitting in the relegation zone.

To do that, they will have to improve at both ends of the field and end a run of five matches without a win.

Cox has highlighted the need for a new striker to spur them on in that regard – with divisional rivals Lincoln City confirming this week they had rejected a bid for top-scorer Matt Rhead.

Rhead is just one of several front-men the Barrow manager has targeted – he also missed out on Forest Green Rovers’ Aaron O’Connor, who went to League Two Stevenage – and Cox is hopeful someone will arrive before the weekend.

“We’re looking for goals, but it’s all-round quality we’re looking to add to the squad as well,” he said. “We’re talking about issues in both boxes and I’m trying to rectify that.

“The bid for Matt Rhead didn’t work out, but it shows we are trying to rectify that issue with goals.

“We lost out on a number of potential signings because the players I have looked at do well in the Conference. People like Aaron O’Connor have gone into the Football League. The quality I am trying to bring in would benefit us.”

He added: “I would like to strengthen the squad as much as I can before the window closes. The quicker we get the players in, the better.

“I think there will be new faces this week, but it’s all in the lap of the gods.

“You wouldn’t believe the amount of people I have spoken to over the last three weeks. Some of them have fallen by the wayside at the last part of the deal.

“We’re still having to be patient, because clubs are telling me they are waiting for a little bit of movement from above so they can let people out.

“I have gone for quality. If you look at the players we have gone in for, they would make an immediate impact at the football club in the short, medium and long-term – the impact would be sustained.

“We have to bow to what football is – if there is a little bit quality out there, there will be other clubs in for the players.

“We’ll keep working and I would like to think something will materialise over the next 24 or 48 hours for us to add to the squad.”

On the move for O’Connor, who has nine goals from 20 matches this season and played under Cox at Mansfield, the Barrow manager said: “We’ve gone after some very good footballers. We were in the chase for Aaron O’Connor, but he went to Stevenage.

“I’ve got a good relationship with Aaron. He’s a Nottingham boy and I thought things were progressing quite well, but a League Two club comes in and takes him.

“That’s what we’re competing with to bring quality into this football club. We’re competing against lots of bigger clubs – not just at this level but in League Two and League One.

“Once again, it was frustration and having to be patient is key. But, ultimately, there will be bodies coming into the club.”

Another player Cox had hoped to bring back to Holker Street was young winger Otis Khan.

He spent two months on loan with the Bluebirds, before returning early to parent club Sheffield United with a groin issue.

The Blades have since released him from his contract and Cox’s desire to have him spend a second spell with AFC was scuppered when another League One club, Barnsley, snapped him up.

Cox saw Khan as the perfect embodiment of his desire to add something up front, and said: “You look at what Otis Khan gave us, it was that little bit of spark in the last third. We seem to be missing that at the minute.

“Otis has been released by Sheffield United and straight away signed for Barnsley. He was one I looked at and enquired about bringing him back, but I don’t think that will happen in the short-term.

“These are the sort of players I know we need, I know the supporters want to come and watch and who will ultimately create and score goals themselves.”