The injury that kept Rhys Norrington-Davies out of Barrow AFC’s match at Chesterfield last Saturday will not sideline the wing-back for long, according to manager Ian Evatt.

Norrington-Davies, who is on loan until the end of the season from Sheffield United, has been one of the Bluebirds’ stand-out performers in recent weeks, with his boundless energy and ability to defend solidly as well as overlap in attack.

But a thigh problem ruled him out of the 0-0 draw against the Spireites at the Proact Stadium, with his place on the left going to Lee Molyneux, who was eventually sent off for two bookable offences.

Norrington-Davies’ presence was missed by AFC, but the 19-year-old should be fit to return by the time they return to action against Bromley on February 9.

Evatt said: “Rhys has been outstanding for us and we missed him. Moly did well – I think the first yellow card was very harsh, the second one was probably a yellow card. Rhys has been magnificent and his absence was simply down to a thigh strain, but it shouldn’t keep him out for any more than a week.”

When Barrow do welcome Bromley to Holker Street next month, they’ll be hoping to end a spell of four games without a goal. They’ve yet to find the net in 2019.

But they provided considerably more of a threat at Chesterfield than in their previous game against FC Halifax Town and looked likely to snatch a late winner prior to Molyneux’s red card.

Evatt insists he is not concerned about the current goal drought, saying: “It doesn’t worry me because we’re still creating. At Chesterfield, we certainly created.

“We’re going to work hard on the training pitch in playing out of this shape and I think you saw the signs of that in the second half.

“Some of the moves we strung together were outstanding and we just needed that goal, really. It wasn’t through a lack of trying – we created numerous opportunities and it didn’t quite fall for us.

“It was a pleasing point because Chesterfield is going to be a difficult place to come until the end of the season and John [Sheridan] has got them playing a lot better now.”

Evatt certainly couldn’t ask more of his players at the other end of the pitch, as the Bluebirds’ defence kept their eighth clean sheet in 11 league games.

“I must say the back three were outstanding – Dan Jones, Matty [Elsdon] and Sam Hird gave us a lot of calm and assurance and Joel [Dixon] didn’t really have a save to make, other than one in the first half,” he said.