Mark Cooper says Barrow AFC must use a feeling of injustice as fuel for their survival fight.

The Bluebirds manager believes an attitude of “us against the footballing world” is now required.

Cooper was deeply frustrated at the circumstances of Barrow’s defeat at Bristol Rovers on Tuesday night.

He bemoaned the first-half red card to defender Niall Canavan - the club are awaiting the outcome of an appeal - and later said he had been prevented from making a substitution moments before the home side scored the winner.

Cooper said his players were as angry as he has known them after the midweek game.

It follows other recent setbacks such as the red card to Aaron Amadi-Holloway against Stevenage.

And he says the team's defiant spirit must now be channelled into the approaching games, starting with Walsall’s visit to Holker Street on Saturday.

“We’ve had a chat, the players and myself – and we’re of the mindset where we’re not going to let any outside influence interfere with what we do,” Cooper said.

“We have to be that good, that we take all those external sources out of the equation.

“If we get two penalties given against us we have to score three goals. If we get two men sent off we still have to get a result.

“We’re that angry that we have to use that. It’s us against the whole footballing world at the minute and that’s where we are.

“We need the supporters of Barrow to really get behind us at home, like they have done, and realise it’s us against the football world.

“That’s where we feel, that’s the way we’re going to go.”

Barrow head into this weekend’s game third bottom of League Two, one point above the relegation zone after five without a win and three without scoring.

Their ten-man reverse at the Memorial Stadium cost the Bluebirds the chance to make progress in the survival battle on a night other rivals, such as Carlisle, Colchester and Leyton Orient, picked up points.

Cooper says Barrow’s bid to take matters into their own hands must include an ability to convert the chances they narrowly missed against Joey Barton’s side.

The Bluebirds struck the woodwork in Bristol and Cooper feels a point would have been no more than they deserved.

He added: “I’ve never seen a group of players as angry after a game as they were the other night.

“To go to Bristol Rovers and play with ten men for 70 minutes, and deserve to get a result, and it not being of your own making is really, really difficult to take.

“A lot of things went against us and I’ve since had apologies from the PGMOL [refereeing body Professional Game Match Officials Limited] about the sending-off, about us not being allowed to make a substitution…

“It’s too many times [this sort of thing is happening] now. But we’ve got to make sure when we get those chances, like we did late in the game, somebody has to put the ball in the back of the net.

“We had some brilliant chances after going 1-0 down, and we have to score.”