BARROW face one of their toughest tests of the season as they welcome Tranmere Rovers to Holker Street tonight – minus a clutch of key players.

Manager Paul Cox will be without suspended duo Liam Hughes and Richie Bennett – after both picked up their 10th yellow cards of the season in the 0-0 draw against Sutton United on Saturday – while his defensive options are limited as well (7.45pm kick-off).

The Bluebirds must keep their fingers crossed that captain Danny Livesey is fit to feature against their promotion rivals after being withdrawn at half-time at the weekend following a clash of heads.

His replacement, Blackburn Rovers loanee Matty Platt, suffered a knee injury five minutes after coming on, and his spell with Barrow could be over as a result.

Up front, Bennett's absence, combined with top-scorer Byron Harrison not yet being fit to return from his ankle problem, leaves Cox without his two first-choice strikers.

Ross Hannah has started three of the last four National League matches – he was substituted on Saturday having been set for a longer stint before the defensive injuries – and looks set to continue, with the options to accompany him being Barnsley loanee Shaun Tuton and the towering Inih Effiong, with Cox stressing his preference for playing with a strike duo.

“I always look to get two centre-forwards on the pitch,” he said. “We might have to look at it tactically and see what we’ve got going forward, see where our strengths are and where our weaknesses are, and plan accordingly for Tuesday, and then for the long trip down to Eastleigh.

“I thought Ross Hannah did really well on Saturday. I said to Ross that it was one of those where he was going to stay on the pitch until the injuries happened.

“What we didn’t want to do on Saturday, because of the way our luck was going, was concede off a sloppy set-piece because of a lack of height. That’s why I left Richie on.

“I thought Richie probably needed a rest on Saturday. He was probably going to come off a lot earlier than Ross did, but circumstances meant that he didn’t. That’s when I have to make decisions – there will be some people who disagree.

“Ross is a brilliant lad, and he understood. I did think that Ross was having a brilliant game, but sometimes you have to sacrifice somebody in different circumstances.”

Cox admitted having extra height in the side was a factor when he chose to take off Bennett instead of Hannah on Saturday, but insisted that does not mean he will necessarily go with a big man up front tonight – with Effiong his option in that regard.

“Everyone gets carried away with the height,” he said. “I only did that on Saturday because Sutton are quite a big side, and it was something we look at in terms of defending set-pieces.

“Sometimes we have to change one or two things and adapt your shape or what you do with the ball to accommodate different types of player.”

Tonight's match is the fourth time this season Barrow and Tranmere have crossed swords, with the home side coming out on top on each occasion.

The latest encounter was in the FA Trophy quarter-finals at Prenton Park 10 days ago, when Rovers stormed to a 5-1 win, having fallen behind to an early Jordan Williams goal.

Cox knows Rovers are not in third place in the table without good reason – having won four of their last five league games – and expects another hard game against a side featuring former AFC players Andy Cook and Steve McNulty.

“They are where they are for a reason,” he said. “What we want to do is put right the 45 minutes where we played badly in that game.

“They are a good side and it’s going to be tight.

“It’s going to be an interesting part of the season, and I would rather be where we are than where a lot of other clubs are. We’ve still got something to play for, there is still excitement about us.

“I’m never one to throw in the towel, and we want to finish the season in a really positive manner, but there has to be an understanding of learning about what we have done this season, the positives and also the negatives.”