Barrow boss Mark Cooper didn’t mince his words after his side had lost 3-1 at home to Mansfield Town.
“It was a lack of desire by our centre-backs. They just didn’t want to head the ball enough and their forwards did.
“Three goals from set-pieces were all down to us not having enough desire where it mattered,” he said.
Mansfield were registering their seventh successive win – a club record – despite having to play for 50 minutes with only ten men.
After a disastrous start, which saw Nigel Clough’s visitors in front through Rhys Oates within a minute, the Bluebirds fought back to equalise through James Jones.
Town retook the lead but were reduced to ten men just before the break when Farrend Rawson was sent off for a second booking.
Although they dominated possession in the second half, Barrow couldn’t find an equaliser and Mansfield clinched the points when Jordan Bowery powered home a header on 68 minutes.
From the kick-off Rhys Oates had dashed forward to hammer a low shot at goal which Paul Farman turned round the post.
From the resultant corner Rawson flicked-on the ball at the near post and Oates guided home a header from close range with just 40 seconds gone.
It looked as though Barrow had got back on terms after 13 minutes when Luke James glanced Tom White’s cross into the net, but the flag was up for offside.
But they didn’t have long to wait for the equaliser. After 17 minutes Robbie Gotts whipped in a dangerous corner and James Jones sent a powerful header into the net off the post.
The Stags went back in front on 25 minutes, again from a left wing corner which Barrow only half cleared and Stephen McLaughlin hammered a terrific shot into the net from just inside the area.
McLaughlin almost doubled his tally when he cracked in a fierce drive which evaded Farman but Patrick Brough cleared off the line.
On 39 minutes Rawson, already on a yellow card, chopped down James and the referee had no choice but to send the defender off.
It was an unhappy double for the Mansfield defender having also seen red against the Bluebirds in the home fixture back in October.
With 10 men, Mansfield were happy to sit behind the ball in the second half and that allowed Barrow plenty of possession as they looked to probe for a route through their resolute visitors.
The visitors held Barrow at bay and then increased their lead midway through the second half when a free kick was delivered from the left and Jordan Bowery got up highest to power and unstoppable header past Farman to make it 3-1.
Mark Cooper responded by throwing on Jacob Wakeling and Josh Kay, and the latter came close to finding a way through when he jinked into the box on the left but his low ball across was snatched by keeper Bishop with Jamie Devitt ready to pounce.
In the final minutes when Anthony Glennon’s right-wing corner was met by Brough, but his looping header dropped on to the top of the cross bar.
Then Matt Platt watched his injury time header hit the woodwork on its way over.
