Manager Ian Evatt wants his defenders to contribute more goals this season, as he looks for increased potency from his side all over the pitch.

Only Barnet scored fewer goals than the Bluebirds out of the teams that finished in the top half of the National League in the last campaign, which was a large factor in them not making a sustained push for the play-offs.

AFC managed to score three goals in both of their last two pre-season friendlies of the summer and centre-backs found their way onto the scoresheet during them.

Trialist Sam Graham opened the scoring in the 3-3 draw at Lancaster City before Sam Hird rounded things off in last Saturday's 3-1 win against Sheffield United under-23s.

Evatt said: "I still think that, with the chances we create, we're not quite as clinical as I'd like us to be, but I think some of the movement, especially in the first half, was there on Saturday and we were picking our passes.

"It's pleasing that we've also scored from a set-piece - we don't score enough from set-pieces and we need our centre-halves scoring goals.

"We do a lot of stat-based work and I think the blueprint for promotion from the National League means you need, on average, about 14 goals from defenders and we only had two last season.

"That's something that we need to improve on, getting other players chipping in from around the pitch."