Josh Kay has played in a variety of positions since he signed for Barrow AFC from Chesterfield in the summer of last year, but he believes his current role is one where he can produce his best form.

Kay proved to be a versatile member of the Bluebirds' squad in his first year with them, although it seemed to take a while to figure where on the field was the best place to exploit his talents.

The 22-year-old also showed he could fill in where necessary, such as the last time AFC faced tomorrow's opponents, Eastleigh, as it was long pass from right wing-back that set up Jack Hindle's winning goal in March.

As one of the few bright spots of Tuesday's disappointing 3-0 home defeat against Harrogate Town, Kay can be expected to continue on the left of the front three against the Spitfires.

Kay said: "I'm versatile and I'll play anywhere. I think with my attributes I can afford to do that, but this position that the gaffer has put me in now is one that I really do enjoy.

"I've got used to it over pre-season and worked hard at learning where I need to be, with my roles and responsibilities, and hopefully soon it will pay off when I start getting some goals and assists."

A more consistent end product from Kay is something he'll need to to produce in his second season at Holker Street, as he looks to better a tally of three goals, which admittedly included that stunning overhead kick against Hartlepool on Easter Monday.

He's looked very bright in tandem with Dior Angus, who plays on the other wing, but he believes more should be coming from him in the final third.

"I thought in the first game [at Wrexham] I was good in spells, but didn't really affect the game enough and it was the same against Harrogate," Kay said.

"I tried to do the best that I could do, but I need to start scoring goals and helping the team out because when we don't score, it does put pressure on the back four, so that's just something I'm going to have to work on."

Another area that urgently needs addressing with Barrow is the standard of their defending, particularly from set-pieces, as all five of the goals they've conceded so far have been headers.

Kay doesn't want the blame to be just apportioned to those at the back, however, insisting that everybody in the side can do more to improve and make the Bluebirds harder to beat.

He said: "Pete [Atherton] said that it's not just one mistake that's leading to the goals, there's many mistakes and we obviously need to look at the video and then go from there.

"Other teams are probably going to look at it and think 'we'll just swing it into the box or we'll get set-pieces' or whatever, but it's something we can work on and if we cut it out, I think we'll be fine."