STEPHEN Clemence stressed Barrow’s 2-0 defeat at Gillingham “won’t define” their season. 

The Bluebirds came out second best at the hotly-anticipated top-of-the-table clash.

Goals from Jayden Clarke and Robbie McKenzie ensured Clemence endured an unhappy return to Priestfield, where he was sacked at the end of last season. 

The Bluebirds were caught on the counter for the first goal and squandered a number of good chances, with Glenn Morris making a string of decent stops, before the hammer blow second. 

Barrow slipped to third as the Gills remained at the League Two summit, after Walsall briefly went top after their thumping lunch-time win.

“It’s not about my return to Gillingham,” insisted Clemence. “I’m just disappointed we’ve not got any points on the board.

“We got caught on the counter in the first half for the goal.

“I thought second half we were a lot better. We had a great chance at 1-0 down where their keeper makes a good save.

“Three or four minutes later we’re 2-0 down. I don’t think there was that much in the game. 

“We’ve had some things go against us in the last week or so, but that’s where we’re at. We’ve got to dust ourselves down and get ready for Tuesday.

“Gillingham haven’t lost at home since Christmas. But we’ve gone toe-to-toe with them, and I don’t think they’ve played us off the park. 

“I’m not going to go in and talk about the errors.

“They had a counter-attack and broke on us quickly. There are things in that goal that we should do better.

“The second goal was the first time they got up the pitch in the second half and they score from a corner.

“Again, I’d like to think we can defend better, but we haven’t. This game isn’t going to define our season.

“We’ve made a couple of errors, but we’ll look at them and try to improve and get better.”

Clemence was without three key players from the spine of his side with keeper Paul Farman, captain Niall Canavan and midfielder Kian Spence all missing. 

And the former Tottenham and Birmingham midfielder revealed Farman and Canavan will have extended spells on the sidelines. 

He added: “We found out on Tuesday about Naz. We were in London and took him with us thinking he might be able to be involved. 

“He hurt his calf ahead of the previous game and wasn’t quite right. We got the results of his scan and he’ll be out for four to six weeks.

“Farms has had a bit of a thigh issue for a couple of weeks. He’s overstretched at Chelsea and will be out six to eight weeks. 

“Kian Spence was meant to play today, but he wakes up this morning and he’s sick. 

“We’ve got five key players missing at the moment, and the only one who’s likely to be back with us soon is Kian.

“It’s one of those things at the moment.

“I mean it when I say it, I’ve got a good squad, and I trust all of them. Of course, those players are big misses for us, but when they are missing it’s an opportunity for somebody else and they have to step up."