Barrow AFC manager Ian Evatt wants his players to become more streetwise after they fell to a disappointing 2-1 defeat against Boreham Wood at Holker Street.

The Wood were able to break up the game when defending their lead by earning several free kicks, as the Bluebirds’ determination to rescue the result turned into desperation the longer the contest wore on.

Evatt accepted that the visitors had begun the game with a greater intensity in their play, with AFC only waking up after Justin Shaibu’s 34th-minute penalty had put them 2-0 behind.

However, he feels his players are sometimes too honest for their own good, which prevents them from getting the decisions off the match officials that he believes they should be getting.

Evatt said: “We had the chances in the second half – we virtually dominated the whole of the second half. We had that one big chance after half-time that Jack [Hindle] should score.

“But I’ve just said to the players that we have to start to stop being so naïve.

“We are so naïve, in terms of whenever their players felt contact, they were going down, they were wasting time from goal kicks, from throw-ins and we’re just so honest that we stay on our feet when we feel contact.

“The centre forwards are getting no protection from the referee in terms of their players coming over the top and hitting our lads.

“They have to go down and not buy free kicks, but give the referee a decision to make by going down because when they stay on their feet, nine times out of ten the officials won’t give it.

“It’s disappointing, it’s a poor result, it wasn’t necessarily a poor performance, I just thought in the first 20 minutes we didn’t win those 50-50 tackles, those 50-50 battles and we have to learn from that.”