Barrow AFC manager Ian Evatt goes into tonight's game against Harrogate Town still looking for extra cover at centre-back after a loan move for Sheffield United's Sam Graham fell through.

The 18-year-old, who featured in two pre-season friendlies, was set to be involved in the Bluebirds' opening game of the season at Wrexham last Saturday with a deal with the Blades all but agreed.

However, Evatt was informed a couple of days before the 2-1 defeat at the Racecourse Ground that Graham would be heading elsewhere, with him signing for Notts County on a season-long youth loan on Monday night

Barrow currently have just Matt Elsdon as a back-up for captain Josh Granite and Sam Hird, but Evatt won't be rushed into bringing just anybody in to bolster his options at the back.

Evatt said: "We're light there, 100 per cent, but when you feel like you've got a deal agreed and then you get a phone call at five to 11 at night saying he's going somewhere else, what can I do?

"All our plans are up in the air, but we're still in the hunt because we need one, no doubt.

"One thing I'm not going to do is be forced into doing a deal I don't really want and need - we can't be desperate, we need to cute and measured in our recruitment.

"It's back to the drawing board, we're looking around and we'll see what's available."

The Bluebirds get their home campaign up and running with the visit of Harrogate, who were one of a number of clubs points were dropped against from a winning position at Holker Street last season.

Home form is what ultimately cost AFC in Evatt's first campaign in charge, as they won just four times on their own patch from the middle of October onwards, meaning they couldn't capitalise on their good results on the road.

Evatt said: "We're not going to get too down from losing at Wrexham because you're going to lose games, but it's about how you react and now we need a reaction on Tuesday.

"The first half at Wrexham was a perfect away performance. We've just got to take our chances.

"I hear fans moaning at home for us to shoot more, but when you're in on goal one v one, you have to score and we should have scored two or three. That's not from not creating, that's just not being clinical."