Bayliss sets Barrow safety target

Dave Bayliss is confident his Barrow side can turn their season around

Barrow joint-boss Dave Bayliss believes his side need 'at least' another seven wins to secure their Blue Square Premier status this season.

"We've got twenty-odd cup finals left to play," Bayliss told BBC Radio Cumbria. "And we need to win at least seven of them to stay in this league.

"We've still got to play those teams around us and I think we'll be ok."

The Bluebirds currently lie 20th in the table, just one place and one point clear of the drop-zone.

Barrow have failed to record a league win since beating Forest Green at Holker Street on 1 November. But, by way of inspiration, they can look back to last season at the amazing 20-game unbeaten New Year run that carried them all the way to promotion from Blue Square North.

"We're trying to get a siege mentality around the club like we had last year," said Bayliss.

I think officials get swayed. That's a just a fact of life

Dave Bayliss

"Last year we were one of the biggest teams in the division and nobody liked us, that's a fact.

"We now have to get that mentality that nobody likes us in this division as well and we need the supporters behind us more than ever now."

Bayliss also believes his side are not seeing decisions go their way when playing matches in the south of the country.

The Bluebirds had two players - Andrew Bond and Steve McNulty - sent off in the 3-0 defeat at Stevenage at the weekend.

"I spoke to managers at the start of the season and they said you have to make sure your home form counts because when you go down south," said Bayliss. "They tend to favour the bigger teams.

"I think officials get swayed. That's a just a fact of life."

But Bayliss, whose Barrow side host Kidderminster Harriers at Holker Street this weekend, is confident that his side can turn their season around.

"All we've asked for is everyone to stick together," he said. "After the Stevenage defeat, we came out of that dressing room and, for the first time in a long time, you could see a real togetherness among the players.

"If we can stick together as a club I'm sure we can turn things around."