BARROW AFC manager Ian Evatt has no problem with John Rooney continuing to take penalties after the midfielder’s recent woes from 12 yards.

Five of Rooney’s 20 goals this season have come from the penalty spot but he has missed in both of the Bluebirds’ last two games, with him having a kick saved against Dagenham & Redbridge and he hit the post against Notts County last Saturday - both at the Holker Street End.

The latter came with the game still goalless and while his miss wasn’t the major turning point in the 2-0 defeat against the Magpies, finding the net would have likely opened the game up in AFC’s favour.

It was one of the few low points in what has been an outstanding season for the 29-year-old and Evatt is understandably backing his joint-top scorer to produce the goods again soon enough.

Evatt said: “I think there will be others who’ll want to take them but I trust John, I trust him impeccably because there’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll score penalties.

“He’s a confident lad and he’s just not taken the two he’s had this week, that’s footy sometimes.

“If we ever thought that this was going to be easy and that this was going to be a dream ride and a cruise to the finishing post, this is a tough and unforgiving division. We’re going to have ups and downs, we’re going to have days like Saturday and swings and roundabouts but the most important thing is we keep our heads up and keep fighting, and we’ll definitely do that.”

The match against Notts ultimately turned on the red card for Scott Quigley after 61 minutes which will rule him out of the Bluebirds’ next three matches due to suspension.

Quigley will at least be available for the crunch game against second-placed Harrogate Town on April 1, with AFC looking to maintain or possibly build their four-point lead over them by the two teams clash.

On the decision to send his man off, Evatt said: “I think Quigs has over-stretched and because he’s done that, thinking he can get there, it always looks worse than it is.

“I’ve got no complaints with that decision, I have several complaints with others but it is what it is and we’re now without Quigs, who’s really stepped up this season, for the next three games and it’s up to someone else to step up to the plate.

“We need to make sure that his void is filled for the next three games. The performance for 60 minutes against Notts County was excellent in difficult conditions again. We dominated the game but the sending-off changed it.”