As a player with Hartlepool, Halifax, Bolton and Blackpool Phil Brown clocked up 652 Football League appearances.
He believes it was heart, endeavour, desire and hard work which extended his career to 18 years.
Now as Barrow manager, Brown is looking for the same qualities in his side to fight their way out of relegation trouble.
A 2-1 home defeat by Port Vale leaves Barrow anxiously looking over their shoulders, just three points clear of the drop zone.
Brown said: “I was quite happy with what I got from the players in the first half and I thought the 1-0 lead we enjoyed was a fair reflection on the game.
“We asked for plenty of support from the crowd and we got that, which I think was reflected in our performance.
“But although we did show enough endeavour and heart in that first half, we are still just short on confidence because of the results we have been getting at home.
“We got a poor decision against us early in the second-half and there was some poor defending for the Port Vale goals.
“Overall it was a step-up from my first game at Leyton Orient. I thought we were maybe 65 per cent then and this time I would say that was up to about 75/80 per cent, so there has been improvement.
“We have to continue that improvement at Crawley on Saturday.”
Josh Kay, back from injury, had drilled Barrow ahead on 24 minutes and they deservedly led at the break.
But the Valiants, beaten only once in their previous 16 games were much more dangerous in the second-half.
They levelled on 59 minutes when Jamie Proctor hammered in his tenth goal of the season.
The winner agonisingly came in the 89th minute when Barrow defended slackly and Aaron Martin had a simple tap in.
