STEVE Burr hasn't given up on Harriers's play-off hopes, despite losing 2-1 to Barrow at Aggborough.

Harriers were shot down by first half goals for Jack Mackreth and Richie Baker.

Anthony Malbon pulled one back near the end of the first half but Harriers could not find a way through their well-drilled opponents.

Defeat means with 11 games to go, Harriers have slipped to seventh in the table and also catapulted Barrow into the promotion reckoning.

"We can only win matches, what hasn't helped was that we didn't get the three points and it makes it much harder going into the Fleetwood game on Friday," commented Burr.

"We can't change that, but I will never give up the chance of making the play-offs while it is mathematically possible."

Harriers had fallen behind to a controversial 20th minute goal from Mackreth. Keeper Tony Breeden had made a fine save to deny the wideman;s header but the assistant referee ruled it had crossed the line.

Burr also felt defender Paul Smith should have been sent off for a handball which denied Kyle Storer a goal-scoring chance in the second half.

He said: "I couldn't see if the goal went in because of the angle I was at but I asked the keeper and he thought he saved it.

"I thought the referee on the far side, well I call him the referee because he didn't run the line he ran the game.

"I can't believe their lad wasn't sent off for a handball when Kyle Storer was clean through and handballed it, next week somebody will get sent off for that.

"I am not saying if they had gone down to 10 men we'd have won the game, you never know, what I'm saying is Storer is clean through, the lad has handballed it and by the letter of the law it's a sending off."

Despite the defeat, Harriers's manager could not fault their efforts.

He added: "I can't have asked for anymore from my players, with all due respect to Barrow, how they found themselves 2-0 up when they did we'll never know.

"It was a setback to all of us. We got ourselves back into it but we couldn't find the two goals we needed to win the game."

Harriers welcome leaders Fleetwood to Aggborough on Saturday (7.3pm kick-off).