BLUEBIRDS manager Paul Cox says he has turned down the chance to bring in more new blood in the past week as he searches for the perfect pieces for his Barrow jigsaw.

The Holker Street boss knows his squad – which is 20-strong, including loan players Ryan Yates and Dom Smith – needs adding to.

With the likelihood that injuries, suspensions and losses of form will come into play as the National League season goes on, Cox wants to ensure there is sufficient depth in the Barrow ranks to cope.

But he is also determined that the right people – such as Smith and Yates – should be brought in, and thus has turned down the opportunity to add to the ranks in the past week.

“We’ve got to do things in a logical manner and a logical time-frame and I’m not going to go and blow loads of money and waste it on players who are not going to add to us,” the AFC boss said after a 4-1 win at Southport, which lifted the side to seventh in the National League after going five games unbeaten.

“I’ve been patient. I could have brought two or three in over the last week, but they’ve got to be the right people. They’ve got to have the right mind-set and, more importantly, they’ve got to fit into this group, because this group has a decent mind-set. We’ve got some young pups who are learning their trade, some good experienced pros and some who are just bubbling at the minute.”

Cox has held talks with Texas-based AFC owner Paul Casson about the need for more players in the squad.

He described those talks as positive, with indications that the chairman will back him when he finds the right men to bring in.

“I think we’re coming to the next phase,” Cox said. “I’ve spoken to the chairman and we’ve always said that the squad needs strengthening – for us to be really competitive week in, week out, we still need strengthening.

“I think we’ve got 19 players now with the two loan signings and after Mellor has gone. Twenty at a push. We’re competing with clubs who have 25, maybe 30 players. The situation where we have good players on the bench breeds a hunger and desire to keep your place when you are out there.”

He added: “My job is to build the football club. To do that, I’ve got to make really tough decisions and professional decisions. We still need strengthening.

“Danny Livesey cut his head again tonight and all we need is two or three injuries and we are down to the bare bones.

“This group have been excellent all through the season, through pre-season. We’ve still got people like Shaun Beeley to hopefully come back soon, but we need strengthening, because the injuries, suspensions and losses of form are just around the corner.

“When we get into the months of October, November and into the Christmas period, that is when that bit of extra is going to tell.

“There have been some really positive talks with Paul. I believe in acting on things when you are on a run and this is for our next phase now, this is when we need to act. Some people might find that a bit strange, because we have got a good group of players who are running through a brick wall for the club, but they just need a bit of help every now and then.

“These Saturdays, Tuesdays, come thick and fast, the travelling catches up with you, and what we don’t want to do is have any substandard performances. We want to make sure that every week we’re on it, we’re giving our supporters who are travelling to games something to cheer about, and hopefully we can be one of those teams in the top 10 who are there or thereabouts.”