ADY Pennock hopes the extra week between games will allow his new Barrow AFC signings to fit in better with the Bluebirds' set-up.

The scheduled National League match at Guiseley on Saturday was called off on Friday evening due to a frozen pitch at Nethermoor.

Pennock and several members of the coaching and playing staff had already checked into hotels ahead of the fixture before it was called off, with the squad given the weekend off as a result.

The AFC boss had not given them a day off during the week, on the back of a disappointing 0-0 FA Trophy draw at Brackley Town last Saturday and the subsequent 'awful' showing in the replay, which Barrow lost 2-0 at Holker Street on Tuesday.

Pennock spent his Saturday afternoon watching Sutton United – the visitors to South Cumbria next weekend – defeating Dagenham and Redbridge 2-1 at Gander Green Lane to stay right among the top-guns in the division.

And, while he was disappointed not to have been able to lock horns with Paul Cox's Guiseley side, he saw the benefit with regards to new signings Steve Arnold – the goalkeeper signed on an 18-month deal on Wednesday – and Luke James – who joined on loan from Forest Green Rovers until the end of the season on Friday – in preparing to meet Sutton.

“They were in every day last week, and we wanted to play after what had happened on Tuesday and everything,” said Pennock.

“But what it does do, with Steve coming in and Luke coming in, and with Chris Humphreys having come in last week, is mean we can do a bit more work on the team.

“We'll have a full week now and be prepared for the Sutton game next Saturday.”

Barrow had been made aware of the possibility the game would be called off on Thursday, but Pennock added: “With the weather around Leeds, we knew on Thursday that snow had fallen during the week and that things had to improve. But you just never know with the English weather – one minute, it's snow, the next it could be 30-degrees.

“We had prepared properly all through the week, and we were ready on Thursday and Friday to play. You have to do that, otherwise, if it was on, we wouldn't have been prepared.

“We got the call at half-past-six to say it was off. Some of the boys were up there, so it was a case of getting on with it. I gave them the weekend off, because they have been in every day this week, for one reason or another.”

Details for the rearrangement of the trip to Guiseley will be announced in the coming weeks. It is almost certain to now be on a Tuesday evening, although not February 13, after the Lions have now rescheduled their postponed game with Gateshead for that night.