Captain Josh Granite was pleased to be part of what was a solid defensive effort from Barrow AFC after making his first appearance for almost three months against Dagenham & Redbridge.

A serious ankle injury had kept Granite out of action since the goalless draw against FC Halifax Town on January 19, barring a run-out for the Bluebirds’ under-21 team three days previously.

The scoreline on his return against the Daggers was the same as his last first-team outing, which partly came as a result of the 27-year-old helping to keep their chances few and far between.

It was actually the first time he had played alongside Sam Hird since the former Chesterfield man signed in January and they and Dan Jones showed no signs that they were in fact a new combination as a back three.

Granite said: “I actually came off with my injury against Halifax and Sam came on, so it was the first time I’ve played with him.

“We both felt really good – Sam’s massively experienced, a good player and obviously with Dan Jones on the other side, we know what quality he’s got.

“It felt quite solid, it felt really good as a three. I just need to get some more minutes, get some pitch time in the tank and then have a good run into pre-season, looking ahead to next season.”

Minutes was something Granite had plenty of last week after his long lay-off, as he completed 90 minutes at Dagenham while showing little sign of ring-rust.

He was understandably feeling fatigued, however, as he had featured for 70 minutes in Barrow under-21s’ game against Lostock St Gerards in midweek, but nonetheless he is delighted to be back for the conclusion to the season.

Granite said: “It’s been a bit of a hectic week to go from two months of not even being on a pitch to training a couple of times, enjoying my minutes for the under-21s, who have got a great group.

“It was great to be back among the lads at Dagenham and to get 90 minutes and a clean sheet means it was my job done.

“I feel good and we were unlucky not to get the three points, that would have topped it off perfectly. It feels great to get a clean sheet away from home, but I felt we could have won the game.”