Phil Brown says players can still secure their futures at Barrow AFC with a positive display on the last day of the season.

The Bluebirds host high-flying Northampton Town in their last afternoon of a tough campaign.

The Cobblers are hoping to seal promotion at Holker Street – but Brown says his own players also have plenty still to play for.

“There’s 700 Northampton fans in town and the reason is to see their team get promoted,” said the manager.

“I’m not saying we’re going to do everything we possibly can to stop that from happening, but I’m going to come up with a game plan that’s going to cause problems for the opposition.

“They’re a top three team, we’re a bottom four team. By definition that suggests they’ve got better quality than us. We have to have our defensive heads on display, our horrible heads if necessary, to stop that from happening.

“If we can prevent their quality from flowing, it’s the next part I’m interested in for next season if I’m going to be Barrow manager.

“It’s when we’ve got the ball, I want to see better emphasis on the quality of the play that we have.

“If we can provide that better quality, and I witness that, there’s a chance players that have been at the club all season might still be here next year.”

Barrow are set to finish either 21st or 22nd in their second season back in the Football League.

It follows a long battle against the drop which was won recently under Brown, who was brought in to replace Mark Cooper.

Decisions are looming on the future of certain players and the manager – whose own future could be resolved soon – says there is no such thing as a meaningless fixture.

“The most important part is you’re always on show, always on trial in football,” he said. “That goes for every game you play.

“An old chief scout of mine, Jack Chapman, God rest his soul, said, ‘You never know who’s watching’. That is a fact. There is no doubt in my mind about that.

“There’s been players who’ve been on the periphery while they’ve been at the club in the last eight games, there’s been players I’ve only seen in training – there might be one or two of them playing on Saturday.

“If they are, and thinking about their careers, where they’re going down the line, they need to remember that every game is an opportunity.”