David Dunn insists a repeat of Barrow’s spirited showing against Bolton can end their wait for a much-needed League Two victory.

The Bluebirds host Walsall today hoping to make it eighth time lucky.

Dunn will be back on the touchline this afternoon having missed the last two games after testing positive for Covid-19.

He hopes his return will coincide with AFC having a change of fortune after the frustrations of recent outings.

The Barrow boss said: “As I’ve always said, we’re a new team in a new league, but the players are more than capable of competing at this level.

“I’ve every faith in them.

“But they are going to be tough games, and those little fine margins are going to be the difference between us winning and, in our case at the minute, drawing or losing.

“We’re more than happy with performances – they’ve been positive – and we just need to go in the same spirit as we did against Bolton the other night.

“I’m not daft, I know football, and if I was sat here and we were getting beat every game by a good margin, and I was scratching my head not knowing what to do then fair enough – but we’ve drawn seven out of 10 games which tells me, okay, we’ve got a little bit to do but we’re not a million miles away.

“If we can keep believing in what we are doing it will change. Top managers have said to me, ‘Just keep going and it will change’ and I firmly believe it will.”

Dunn has been weighing up a number of selection issues in preparation for this afternoon’s clash with Darrell Clarke’s Saddlers, who themselves are unbeaten but have drawn five of their seven league games so far.

Injuries to Scott Quigley and Kgosi Ntlhe are being assessed, with Lewis Hardcastle and Tom Beadling set to miss out.

New signing Jayden Reid could, though, make his second outing with Dunn encouraged by his first impressions of the young Birmingham loan forward.

“There’s a good player in there,” said Dunn of the frontman who came off the bench in the 3-3 Bolton draw.

“I think he’ll be a threat. He looks like he understands the game and he has come from a good academy at Birmingham – they will have done their work with him.”

Dunn admits Barrow’s injury run has been far from ideal but says he has a committed squad who are desperate to get that first win on the board.

“It’s frustrating when players get injured, of course – during my playing career I was frustrated with myself when I was injured,” he said.

“But they’re a real honest group, and not for one minute do they come in and not try and give 100 per cent for the football club.

“Supporters, and certainly myself, will surely think that, as long as they’re doing that, we can live with a lot of the other things.

“As long as they keep going, keep believing in themselves, we’ve got something to work from.”