Barrow AFC manager Ian Evatt has pressed onto his players not he is not at Holker Street ‘for mediocrity’ after they let a promising position slip through their fingers against Gateshead.

This result will definitely feel like one the Bluebirds lost, rather than one the Heed had to earn, with their players gifted too much space for both of their goals.

Frustration has been the theme of the month for the Bluebirds, who have repeatedly suffered misfortunes that must leave their fans thinking what they’ve got to do for their luck to turn.

Evatt said: “We probably should have been out of sight – they couldn’t get near us in the first half and then in the second half, again, we switch off and don’t track runners and they score.

“We’ve huffed and puffed, we’ve had chances, we’ve hit the post and I’m just so frustrated because, at the minute, we’re a nearly team.

“I don’t like being mediocre and I’ve just told them that I’m not happy being middle-of-the-road.

“I’m not here to be middle-of-the-road – it might be okay with a few, but I’m not accepting it.

“I’m here to win things and get this club where I think it should be, which is the top six, top seven of this league.

“That’s what I think we should achieve and, at the minute, we’re just nearly there, a nearly team, and nobody likes nearly teams.”

Things could have been so different if Barrow had held on for the remaining seconds of the first half with their 1-0 lead, given to them by Tyler Smith, intact.

“Goals before breaks or after breaks change the course of the game,” Evatt said.

“We went in with a different mind-set at half-time after we dominated the first half and again we’ve been hit with a sucker-punch.”