Barrow AFC’s 3-0 home defeat against Harrogate Town on Tuesday night has strengthened Ian Evatt’s resolve to bring a new centre-back into his squad as soon as possible.

The Bluebirds have conceded five goals - all of them headers - in their first two National League games of the season, which has left them still seeking their first point going into Saturday’s game against Eastleigh.

Evatt is looking for someone he believes can bring a dominant presence at the back for AFC, who have proved to be worryingly susceptible in defending set-pieces in their losses against Harrogate and Wrexham.

Their efforts to bring 18-year-old Sam Graham on loan from Sheffield United were thwarted when he joined Notts County instead, which means Evatt is still searching to add more competition at the back.

“We need a centre-half, no doubt about,” Evatt said. “We need a big physical presence, I think, at the moment because there’s no-one really dominating in both boxes and that’s what you need, the basics of football.

“It’s all well and good having all of the ball and having lots of possession and playing attractive football, which we do, but you to have the other edge as well, the other side of the game.

“The basics of football are: compete, run and win your headers and tackles, and we’re not doing the basics well enough at the moment.

“We need to get back to basics and then the rest will hopefully take over and we’ll improve from there.”

Evatt was angry at the way his side defended against Harrogate, with all three of the visitors’ goals coming as a result of a failure to pick up opponents from free kicks and corners.

He felt this gifted the result to the Yorkshiremen, rather than them being required to outplay his side in what was a very disappointing first game of the season at Holker Street.

Evatt said: “The result’s not good enough and with three set-pieces, three goals, there’s a common denominator here.

“People are given responsibilities in their own box, they’re given men to pick up, they’re given jobs to do and right now people aren’t doing their jobs, it’s that simple.

“Other than that, we had most of the possession and I think we probably should have scored before they scored the first one in the first half.

“Then in the second half we get a head of steam up and then we just shoot ourselves in the foot, give away a stupid foul away on the edge of the box and we concede from another set-piece and it’s game over.”