MULTIPLE injuries have coincided with our busiest time of the season with no less than six games in 18 days between February 11 and the end of the month.

The objective must be to still be in touch with the play-off group at the end of the month.

With a win and a defeat in the last seven days we have just about held our ground.

Only two defeats in the last 13 games have transformed our season and made us play-off contenders, so the season is set to develop nicely as the weather warms.

We needed every ounce of resilience that we could muster against Barnet on Saturday and it just got us over the line.

Our trump card and scorer of important goals this season has often been Kurtis Guthrie.

His opener against Barnet was typical.

Kurtis had the confidence to take a pot shot from range with defenders backing off, and the ball squirmed into the bottom corner.

That was the narrow difference between the sides - hopefully we would have closed an opposing player down and blocked the shot, or maybe even saved it. Such a thin dividing line between success and failure.

The second goal was by our other scorer of memorable goals, Brennan Dickenson; another thump with his very trusty left foot.

Our goals came at just the right times. Guthrie’s goal lifted us out of the shock of losing Kent and Doyley to early injuries, and Dickenson’s goal meant we could go in at half time and plan the second half with the benefit of a two-goal buffer.

From the interval lead, like a good boxer, we rolled with the blows without getting hit, and eased home 2-1.

The way Barnet played was an eye-opener.

When we played them down at The Hive in October they were a team of piano breakers who have been converted into a team of piano players (to use and abuse an old rugby saying).

They played a far more technical game than when they played very basic football under Martin Allen.

My impression of Saturday was that the Barnet players were really enjoying the freedom of their new passing style of play since Allen left the club.

The game was bitterly and desperately cold up in the stands, but it didn’t stop us all from going home happy after the win.

I walked back to the car preoccupied with how our walking wounded, Garvan and Slater, would cope with a second game in three days with Crawley in town on Tuesday and whether Matt Briggs would be available for his third game in ten days after a mammoth lay-off.

Against Crawley on Tuesday, again in boxing parlance, our defences dropped a little and we got hit, losing 3-2. Crawley would have had us watched against Barnet, and undoubtedly the scouting report would have mentioned the dangers of Guthrie, the industry of Slater and the covering of Lapslie.

They didn’t have to worry about Slater, as he was not fit for the battle.

We missed him greatly and our shape suffered, contributing to Crawley’s win. Three shots, three goals, was their tally.

One of Crawley’s moments of quality was the delivery of the corner for their crucial first and equalising goal. For once our mix of zonal and man-to-man marking let us down, with the quality of the corner cutting-out Brindley and Garvan who were the zonal men, and Jimmy Smith powered the ball into our net with his marker trailing and Sam Walker on his line. It was a great set piece goal, but very preventable.

For one reason or another that goal changed the game, and we were up against it from that moment despite some battling individual performances, and a great little cameo performance from Charlie Edge, making his debut.

Our injury list of central defenders is crazy at the moment. From seven experienced central defenders, five are injured. Tony Flynn’s rehab/treatment schedule must be packed from dawn until dusk - and beyond.

No doubt there was a roll call of the fit at training on Thursday. The long trip to Accrington will be another test of our character and durability, as much as ability.