Barrow AFC captain Josh Granite is desperate to return to the field after a frustrating spell out through a couple of injuries.

Granite has missed the Bluebirds’ last five matches and they have really missed his leadership at centre-back, with them losing every one and showing some worrying fragility defensively at times.

The 26-year-old had to sit out the first four of those with a toe injury and had recovered from that to take part in AFC’s most recent game at Ebbsfleet United. Or so he had thought.

Frustratingly for Granite, and for manager Ian Evatt, he had to pull out of what was already an injury-hit line-up after having problems with an ankle, with his place going to youngster Kyle Jameson.

Granite said: “I’ve been working really hard with the physio and working really hard in the gym, trying to get right.

“I’m desperate to get back on the field after watching the last five games – it’s been really tough, as the results haven’t gone our way and there were a couple of really bad performances.

“I’m just desperate to get back out there with the lads, put things right and get us back on a good run of form.”

On the frustration of having to withdraw at late notice at Ebbsfleet, Granite added: “I’d done everything; prepped and trained on the Thursday and the Friday, spent the night getting myself ready.

“Then I got on the pitch and it started giving in, so I couldn’t play, which I was gutted about, to be honest, and the result didn’t help, with the long journey home after, so it wasn’t a great day for myself, but that’s football.”

With Saturday’s match against Eastleigh at Holker Street being Barrow’s first competitive action for two weeks, the rest of their squad are champing at the bit to get playing again.

Granite is hoping to be able to make himself on of the increased options Evatt should have for the game, after he had to cope without eight injured players before their current break.

“I’ve trained in the last couple of days and I’m still getting little bits of pain through it, but nothing that I can’t manage,” Granite said, adding: “I’m hoping to get another couple of days’ training in and see how I’m looking before the weekend.

“Even though we were depleted at Ebbsfleet, I thought the lads put in a great performance – that was the really frustrating thing on the day, we played extremely well, created loads and just didn’t put our chances away.

“That’s sometimes even more frustrating than not playing well because we deserved some points down there.”