DEALS for at least two of Barrow AFC's targets are on the brink of completion ahead of Saturday's pre-season trip to Stockport County.

Manager Paul Cox has been in talks with a variety of players – including trialists who have featured in pre-season, such as French teenage midfielder Donovan Makoma – looking to push transfers over the finish line.

One deal is set to be announced on Friday morning, with the paperwork on another signed but requiring processing before it can be made public.

Cox will take a thin squad to Edgeley Park to take on Jim Gannon's National League North side – a repeat of the fixture from last pre-season which Barrow won 1-0 (3pm kick-off).

He has 13 fit, contracted players available for the journey – 14 if the expected transfer of one of his summer targets goes through on Friday – with the likes of Byron Harrison, Dan Cockerline and Joel Dixon part of the squad but on the sidelines with injury.

Striker Cockerline, who is being nursed back to full-fitness following a knee operation at the end of last year, could get some minutes under his belt on Tuesday night at Witton.

Cockerline has yet to make an appearance for the Bluebirds since arriving from Northwich Victoria last season, having gone out on loan to Stalybridge Celtic, before being hurt in training.

He is very much in Cox's plans for the season ahead, through the AFC boss is wary of risking him too soon.

“We'd like Dan to feature, but I don't think it is going to be in pre-season,” said Cox. “He has started light training with the boys, and he only started ball work last week.

“We are trying to wrap the lad up in cotton wool, because it's his first competitive training.

“He might sneak a couple of minute in late on in pre-season, but as we have seen with Joel and Andy Parry, we can't afford to have any more setbacks with the numbers we have in the squad.”

With Dixon having been given better-than-expected news on his knee problem when he visited St George's Park last week, he would now seem to be the second keeper in the AFC squad.

Interest in trialist Colin McCabe, who featured in early pre-season matches, but has not played in the last three, has been ended, and Dixon is on a three-month contract.

Cox was in talks with two potential recruits yesterday for other positions. Deals for that pair would give him 18 players on contract for the season – plus Burnley loanee Jimmy Dunne and Dixon and Parry, both on short-term deals.