Michael Jolley says the Bluebirds remain “very active” behind the scenes in their bid to make a transfer breakthrough.

The new Barrow AFC boss says plenty of work is going on in his bid to bolster the squad this month.

Jolley, whose side return to action at bottom-placed Southend tomorrow, insists he does not want to jump the gun with any potential signings.

But he is adamant AFC will make their move when the time is right.

“We are quite close, but it’s never an easy question to answer, because the player is either signed or not signed and there’s not much in the middle,” Jolley said.

“There’s a lot of talk in the middle, but until a player puts his signature on a contract, we’re still working, talking, and trying to bring the right people in.

“It would be fair to say we’ve been very active and have put a lot of work into getting the right people to come to Barrow.

“I’m very keen to make sure anybody that comes is going to improve the team and add to what we already have.

“I wouldn’t sign somebody just for the sake of signing somebody who’s similar to what we have or not even as good as players we have.

“I know people are probably impatient for some news on signings but I would have thought certainly by the end of the window, if not long before, we’ll have some good news to report.”

The Bluebirds have seen departures in recent days with Jack Hindle leaving Holker Street and loanee Jayden Reid returning to Birmingham.

While the focus now is on equipping the squad for their fight to move away from the wrong end of League Two, that cause would be boosted by victory in Essex this weekend.

The game against Mark Molesley’s side sees a return to action for AFC after last weekend’s home clash with Exeter was called off because of a frozen pitch.

The Bluebirds will belatedly try to extend their three-game unbeaten run and Jolley says he has tried to make the most of the extra time on the training ground.

“It’s a little while since we’ve had a game, I feel like we’re all ready for it and of course it’s an important game,” he said. “I think the boys are looking forward to it.

“The last week or so has also helped me just in terms of simple things like understanding the staff better each day, talking to them to see how they do their jobs, and the same with the players.

“I’ve been having lots of different types of conversations with players to understand where they’re coming from and how they see things going forwards.

“In terms of the facility where we train [at Egerton], I’ve been getting a feel for how the building flows and where people operate and work.”

On Barrow’s injury list, meanwhile, Jolley said: “People like Brad Barry and Michael Jones, and one or two others, are edging closer, but I think it’s unlikely they’ll feature this weekend. They’re still a little bit of a way away.

“But perhaps in the coming weeks we may get a few bodies back, which will be helpful, and in terms of the group that were involved for the Tranmere game, I think everybody’s still ok and that’s a positive.”