PAUL Cox hopes his Barrow AFC players are feeling a little less pressure tomorrow having come through the first home game of the season.

While the 0-0 draw against FC Halifax Town on Tuesday was not the result Barrow were looking for, Cox felt his players were feeling anxious as many lined up in front of the Holker Street fans for the first time.

The Barrow boss feels that anxiety led to some of his recruits trying too hard to impress the 1,410 crowd, meaning passes were often played too quickly and wrong decisions taken – especially in the final third of the field, where numerous chances could not be converted.

But with that game behind them, Cox is hopeful his side can show more of their true selves as they host Woking tomorrow afternoon, with less pressure put on them.

“I'm glad we've got the first home game off our backs, because I think there was a lot of anxiety in the dressing room,” said Cox, who gave full home debuts to 11 players against Halifax – Stuart Moore, Jack Barthram, Dan Jones, Jimmy Dunne, Dave Nieskens, Bedsente Gomis, Asa Hall, Jordan White, Adi Yussuf, and substitutes Bradley Bauress and Dan Cockerline.

“They are human-beings, and I think there were a lot who wanted to show the crowd just how good they were. Sometimes, if you try too hard, it becomes complicated.

“I'm hoping we will look more relaxed in the final third, and the more the games come, the sharper we will become.

“We've not had the exact results we wanted, but I think you will see improvement with the evolution of the squad.”

Cox will toy with the idea of switching formation for the visit of the Cards tomorrow, having played 3-5-2 both in the opening-day loss at Dagenham and the Halifax game.

He admits a lot of that is down to the personnel available to him – with Bauress the only out-and-out winger fit to feature with David Fitzpatrick sidelined, along with three other members of the squad.

What Cox wants is a repeat of the desire from Tuesday, and he said: “The shape might be different. It's not rocket science to work out that since I have been at the club I have usually played a 4-4-2. Sometimes, the players have picked the shape, and over the two games we maybe could have nicked a draw and won a game.

“You're looking at four halves of football, and we have done well in three. We did okay on Tuesday, I don't think we played badly, we just lacked something in the last third.

“We have kept a clean sheet and had chances, but we just didn't score. We need the same kind of desire and performance on Saturday.”

One problem which will take time to be resolved is with the players not knowing each other well enough, most having come into the club in the past six weeks.

But Cox believes they have the ability, and just need to have the confidence and mind-set to play the right ball at the right time, to the right man.

“They don't know each other 100 per cent,” he added. “There were times in the second half on Tuesday where you saw an anxiety in our play with 15 minutes to go, we became a little bit erratic and started to chase the game.

“I know there is a hunger for these players to please the home fans, and I think the work ethic has shown that – the desire, the ability to do everything, to tackle, to work hard. What we need, we have some good technical players, and I want to see them sometimes just play a simple pass and make a simple decision. I think that will come the more the players understand each other.”