Mark Cooper says Barrow are likely to lean towards the loan market in January when they bid to bolster their squad.

The Bluebirds manager is eyeing the winter transfer window as a key time in terms of improving AFC’s season.

Barrow, who go to Sutton United tomorrow, have a month’s football before then but the prospect of deals in January is also high on the agenda.

Manager Cooper believes proven additions could be difficult to attract and said promising younger players on loan from bigger clubs may be the way forward.

He said: “It’s difficult – what you might think is available might not be available in January.

“It’s constantly a case of monitoring the merry-go-round of players.

“I would suggest for us it’s going to be young players on loan that are desperate to play football.

“We’re not going to get a 26-year-old who’s at the top of his game.

“You’ve got to remember we’re trying to attract players to come to Barrow to play football, when we’re not in a great position and considering the difficulties we have as a club.

“I would suggest it’s going to be loan players who are desperate to play football and need game time for their clubs, and we’ve got to appeal to those clubs and managers that we can be a good place for them to come and play some football.”

Cooper said after last weekend’s defeat to Crawley that certain decisions were becoming clearer in his mind about players in January.

Tuesday’s loss at leaders Forest Green meant AFC are without a win in eight League Two games as they head to south London this weekend, hoping to halt a fall which has seen them slip to 20th in League Two.

Cooper said certain players will depart Holker Street in the window, adding: “There will be some players that come in and some that go out, for a variety of reasons – it’s a natural selection. That’s just the way it is.

He also played down the prospect of free agents coming in before January, having decided not to pursue a deal for recent trialist Josh Galloway.

“We’ve not chosen to do anything on that one,” Cooper said.

“There aren’t any free agents available that could help us at the minute.”