Barrow AFC will go into this weekend’s match against FC Halifax Town with their batteries recharged, according to midfielder Jason Taylor.

The visit of the Shaymen to Holker Street will be the Bluebirds’ first match in two weeks, as last weekend saw the second round of the FA Trophy take place without them, due to the same opponents knocking them out of that competition in round one.

The break arguably came at a good time for the players, with many of them playing five games in 14 days beforehand and most of those being against teams riding high at the top of the National League.

That busy spell ended with a surprise 2-0 defeat at Havant & Waterlooville and Barrow are now looking to return to the sort of form that earned Ian Evatt December’s Manager of the Month award.

Taylor said: “We had a lot of football over Christmas, the same for everyone else, and I think it caught up with us in the last game.

“Obviously, we had a long journey down there and while it’s no excuse for us losing, we did look a bit leggy and the boys really suffered.

“We didn’t really rotate the players and everyone kept the same team over Christmas, bar perhaps one or two players, but we’ve had a nice rest now and we’re raring to go again.

“We’ve just got to take it as a blessing in disguise, see it as a chance to recharge our batteries and be ready to go again at the weekend.”

Taylor missed the previous meeting against Halifax a month ago after being caught in the face by a stray elbow off a Maidstone United player the previous week, which knocked out four of his front teeth.

The 31-year-old managed recover quickly and play through the pain during the festive period, but it’s been a tough few weeks in terms of recovery, including more visits to the dentist than anyone would want to put up with.

Taylor said: “I’m not fully, 100 per cent, healed up yet. I have had my teeth taken out now, so hopefully the worst of it has gone, if I’m honest.

“The two weeks that followed weren’t great. I haven’t been able to eat properly since, on account that I’ve not been able to bite down on my two front teeth since it happened.

“It’s been a bit of a struggle, eating-wise, but these things happen. It was an accident.

“Obviously, at the time I wasn’t best pleased, but fortunately it didn’t fracture my jaw, so it didn’t really force me to miss many games, even though it did cause me some inconvenience since.”