Barrow AFC midfielder John Rooney knows his side will have to defend better at set-pieces tonight if they're to deal with Harrogate Town's considerable physical threat at Holker Street.

The Bluebirds had a mixed day when it came to free kicks in their 2-1 defeat at Wrexham last Saturday, with their captain Josh Granite scoring from one to give them the lead in the early stages.

However, within two minutes of the restart, a failure to pick up James Jennings at the back post led to JJ Hooper equalising for the Dragons, with the match then swinging irrevocably in the home side's favour.

Rooney said: "We conceded too many goals last year off set-pieces and we conceded one off a set-piece at Wrexham and one from a cross and I think we've got to deal with it better.

"It's not ideal timing to concede right after half-time because it got their fans behind them and they've got the momentum then.

"We gave a silly foul away, they've got in round the back and there's quite a few mistakes for the first goal, to be honest."

Rooney is pleased that AFC have a quick chance to get back on track and knows how crucial it is for them to pick up more wins on their own patch than last season.

"Our home form definitely held us back," Rooney said, adding: "That's our home and we've got to make it horrible when teams come there, so we can't be giving silly points away like last year."