Barrow AFC boss Mark Cooper hopes Tom White will have benefited from a “breather” as he weighs up his selection for the Carlisle United clash.

Cooper said White has been nursing an achilles problem in recent weeks, and was left on the bench for the midweek win at Scunthorpe United.

The 24-year-old could come back into the reckoning for Saturday’s all-Cumbrian clash with Tom Beadling suspended.

Manager Cooper hopes former Carlisle youth player White will be better for the rest.

“We gave Tom a little bit of a breather the other night,” the AFC boss said.

“He’s been struggling with an achilles injury.

“He got a nasty whack a couple of weeks back and I feel it’s been hindering him.

“So that will do him good, the other night, to have a breather and freshen him up for Saturday.”

The Mail: White is a former youth player with this weekend's opponents Carlisle United (photo: Stuart Walker)White is a former youth player with this weekend's opponents Carlisle United (photo: Stuart Walker)

Beadling saw red at Scunthorpe after two bookings and will sit out Saturday’s game through suspension.

Cooper said he should have substituted the 26-year-old before he made the challenge which resulted in his dismissal in the closing stages.

“With the first decision, it’s the first time I’ve ever seen a player booked for not being within a yard of somebody,” Cooper said.

“But there’s no need to make the [second] tackle.

“We’re winning the game, and the referee, if he can, is going to try and even things up.

“I should have taken him off once he got the first booking. That’s my fault.

“I thought he was more streetwise than to make another tackle, but I’ve learned from that and that won’t happen again.”

Barrow head into this weekend’s game six points above the drop zone after Tuesday’s important win against League Two’s bottom side.

While Cooper admitted the victory could have been more comfortable, he highlighted the Bluebirds’ defensive record as a reason they are keeping their heads above water in the relegation battle.

It was a fourth clean sheet in six games and the manager said: “That’s enabled us to get points.

“When we’ve had chances and not took them, by us having a good defensive record it means we’ve got a point out of certain games, which has enabled us to keep our heads above water – and when you do get three, it makes the table look a lot better.

“We’re always in games. We played well the other night – look at the stats, with the shots and chances we created.

“The frustration is we should be a lot more comfortable in the game than we were, because there were clear chances in the game, but the most important thing is we got the three points and the results in and around us were positive.

“Scunthorpe drew with Northampton recently at home, drew at Crawley, and there are no easy games.

"The only way you make it easy is by starting well, getting a goal, a second goal and hoping they fold, but we didn’t get the second goal and you always give them the opportunity – it can be a long ball in the box, a set piece, and we had to defend for our lives again which we’ve done all season.

“Our defensive record is outstanding when you look at it.”