Mark Cooper is considering adding another defender to his Barrow AFC squad – after yet another injury blow.

The Bluebirds boss revealed Kgosi Ntlhe suffered knee ligament damage in Tuesday’s Papa John’s Trophy game against Accrington.

He will join a string of other players on the sidelines, while fellow defender Mark Ellis is starting a three-match ban after his sending-off against Bristol Rovers last weekend.

The Bluebirds can still sign free agents despite the transfer window closing on Tuesday night.

Cooper said he has spoken to potential targets.

“There’s probably a space for a defender now, because Mark Ellis misses three games and Kgosi’s out,” he said.

“There’s space for an out-of-contract defender if we can find one.

“I’ve spoken to a couple. There are a lot of factors in trying to get a player to come to Barrow, like location.

“It’s just a case of trying to work hard and find the best one.”

While Barrow brought in midfielders Jordan Stevens and Robbie Gotts from Leeds on Tuesday, Cooper said increasing his squad further had to be a careful judgement call.

“Because of the injuries [the squad’s] still very small,” said Cooper, who remains without the likes of Matty Platt, Tom Beadling, Mike Jones and Jamie Devitt.

“We lost another one the other night – it’s a knee ligament injury with Kgosi I think.

“The balance for me is to not overload the squad too much now, because when we do get players back, we’ll have too many.

“You’re only allowed so many players in your squad, so it’s a balancing act. I was hoping we could get through the other night [without a further problem], but we haven’t.”