GRAHAM Barrow wants his Shakers players to learn a hard lesson from Saturday's crushing defeat at Grimsby Town.

The Shakers boss reckons there is still plenty to look forward to this season despite the 5-1 mauling on Humberside.

But that optimism is reliant on the team ironing out the worrying defensive frailties that surfaced at the weekend.

It was a second half collapse that spoiled the club's good start to the campaign.

In fact, the Gigg Lane men were unlucky not to have gone in at half time a goal up after Brian Barry-Murphy had given them a second minute lead.

But they allowed the Mariners back into the game with a sloppy equaliser then fell apart after the break despite goalkeeper Glyn Garner saving two penalties in the space of a minute.

"I don't want to knock the football out of the lads but we have to improve and defend better as a team," he said.

"Deep down I feel we are alright, we just have to make sure we get the right reaction after a performance like that.

"We've had three hard games in the space of a week and you have to take that into account.

"I haven't seen anything in the first three games to suggest we can't have a decent season if we play the right way. We just need to tighten up and one or two things need to be addressed defensively.

"We have the personnel to do it when they are all available but without Danny (Swailes) and Colin (Woodthorpe) we finished up having to play with a back four, which isn't us.

"We had Jon Cartledge on the bench but he'd only done one day's running during the week and wasn't fully fit.

"There might have been a case for bringing him on if there had been an injury but it would have been asking an awful lot of him.

"But I don't want to take anything away from Grimsby, they are going to be a force to be reckoned with this season.

"Of the three teams we've played so far they are the strongest."

Barrow also believes his strikers could have helped the situation by giving the team a two goal cushion after the flying start they made.

But with only one goal to show for their early dominance Grimsby were only that one mistake away from getting back into the game.

"We probably should have scored more goals in our good spell," he said.

"We seem to lack a killer instinct. Their strikers would have had a couple of goals if they'd been in the situations we got in.

"It's frustrating because in our first three games we've played some reasonably good football.

"As long as the players get to grips with the situation after Saturday we'll be alright. We just have to dig in again."

With no midweek games there's a chance for all the squad to regroup in the next few days after the hectic opening week. And crucially, key man Swailes is back in training and his progress will be monitored on a day-to-day basis.

Barrow will be hoping the big defender is given the all-clear for next week with the Coca Cola Cup clash against Burnley at Gigg Lane sandwiched between Saturday's home match against Chester City and a trip to local rivals the following week.

"We won't be stupid about it but needs must and Danny may have to be pushed in," he added.

"We have an important week coming up and we need to get back on track."