BARROW’S interim boss Rob Kelly admits his side are in a real “dog fight” but Tuesday’s victory over Oldham Athletic has given them a fighting chance of avoiding relegation from League Two.

Ian Evatt’s former club come to the UniBol with a third different manager in charge since he swapped the Bluebirds for the Whites in the summer having guided his former club to promotion from the National League.

The Cumbrian side started their campaign with David Dunn in charge but it was far from a smooth return to the Football League and the former Blackburn Rovers player was sacked in mid-December.

Kelly briefly took charge on a temporary basis before former Grimsby Town boss Michael Jolley was appointed manager just before Christmas.

But results did not pick up and following a fourth successive defeat – a 2-1 loss to Morecambe last weekend – Jolley was sacked after just seven games in charge and Kelly was appointed interim boss until the end of the season.

However Tuesday’s 1-0 win at Boundary Park – secured thanks to Scott Quigley’s dramatic late goal – saw Barrow briefly climb out of the League Two relegation places before Southend’s shock 3-1 win at high-flying Forest Green Rovers on Wednesday night.

It means the Bluebirds, who have won six times this season, are back in the bottom two, a point behind Southend but with two games in hand.

“It’s a foothold for us,” Kelly told his club’s website after the Oldham win.

“We know what we’re in – we’re in a dogfight, but I think we saw some dogs out there tonight.

“It’s been a difficult period for us so it was great to finish the game like that.

“Scoring that late on puts the players on a high so they’ll enjoy it, we’ll dust ourselves off and then go again but it’s important that everybody enjoys it.”

Kelly believes he has taken over with the objective straightforward and is confident he’s got a group of players that will put in the work needed.

“Staying up is all the matters for us now,” the former Bury assistant added.

“We’ve only got one agenda, and that’s it now.

“Let’s just get to May now, and still be a Football League club.”

Kelly will hope to have former Wanderer Chris Taylor available again, the midfielder closing in on a comeback having hobbled off in the defeat at home to Cambridge at the start of the month.