RESURGENT Bluebirds defensive colossus Moussa Diarra is confident he and his team-mates still have it in them to reach the National League play-offs.

Diarra has been back to his rock-steady best at the back for Barrow in recent games.

As well as once more showing off the aerial and tackling ability that won him so many accolades at the start of the season, the towering 27-year-old Frenchman has netted key goals in each of AFC’s last two matches.

His winner against Dagenham and Redbridge last weekend was followed by a crucial 97th-minute equaliser to earn a 1-1 draw against Wrexham on Tuesday.

Those results have kept Barrow in the hunt for the play-offs, and the 6ft 5ins Diarra says the team are up for the fight and fully deserve to be among the league’s leading lights.

“I feel like I’m going back to my best, but I’m more happy with the team spirit,” said the softly-spoken Parisian, who has settled in superbly at Holker Street after making the step up from Hampton and Richmond Borough. “Even though we drew on Tuesday, I think the team spirit was very good, and there were a few other players who deserved the man-of-the-match award – (Danny) Livesey, Beels (Shaun Beeley), Bully (Paul Turnbull) or (Alex-Ray) Harvey.

“I’m more happy with that element. I think if we keep this team spirit, this desire to win everything, then we have a good chance to be in the play-offs.

“I think everyone knows that we can get to the play-offs – and I think we deserve to be there. We’re not there by mistake, we deserve to be up there and we will fight to the very end.

“Everyone is ready to fight, everyone has the right mentality. We just have to score, but it will come.”

He added: “We’ve been unlucky at the moment. We conceded, I don’t want to say a stupid goal, but a goal we shouldn’t concede. But we fought back – we fight from the start to the end of the game.

“I think the luck is not with us at the moment, but we will keep fighting to the end and that is really pleasing.

“We can go back to how we were playing before Christmas, 100 per cent. I think if we keep this team spirit, the way we train, the intensity we put in, the aggression and the desire from the players in training and on the pitch, if we keep doing the same job, then hopefully we can get there. I’m sure we will come back.

“We’re already playing much better than the past few weeks. I think everyone is getting back to their best and we have to keep playing like this.”

Diarra’s goals against Dagenham and Wrexham were only his second and third of the season, respectively – his only other effort effort coming in the 2-1 home win over tomorrow’s opponents Solihull Moors in November.

That comes after a season where he broke all kinds of scoring records for a defender for Hampton and Richmond, scoring 14 league goals as they won the Ryman Premier and earned promotion to National League South.

Diarra admits he has missed a lot of chances this term, but feels he has overcome his fallow spell, and said: “Last year, I scored 14 league goals and had seven assists, but I think last year was more difficult. I had to fight with two defenders, every time I had two players from the other team marking me, and I would score.

“This year, I play with sometimes two, but most of the time one-on-one. I think this year I have had more chances than last year, but I have just missed a lot of chances. This happens, but it’s the way you come back and that’s the good thing.”

On his general form, he added: “I think I started the season very well. In January, I’m not saying I was bad, but I wasn’t like I was playing at the start of the season.

“I think every player has a dip during the season. No-one is perfect, you can’t play 100 good games. The most important thing is the way you come back, and I’m proud of myself in that way.”