Sutton United manager Paul Doswell was delighted his patchwork team earned a point from Tuesday’s encounter with Barnet.

Having frustratingly lost 1-0 at home to Barrow on Saturday, the injury-stricken U’s dug deep to hold the Bees to a 0-0 draw.

Doswell was forced to field players in unfamilar positions and the Sutton boss revealed the true extent of the situation after injury and illness stripped his squad down to the bare bones.

“We lost Dean Beckwith with a groin injury, we lost Brad Pearce with concussion and Aswad [Thomas] is still unwell,” he said.

“So, we ended up going with Roarie Deacon at left-back and Tom Bolarinwa at right-back, putting Dale Bennett into centre-half.

“For that team to keep a clean sheet against an ex-league club and create three fantastic chances says a lot about them.

“I am very proud of the team under difficult circumstances.

“Every time I took a phone call this morning it was for someone pulling out. I take my hat off to Roarie and Tom for playing in unfamilar positions.”

The point against Barnet moves the U’s into sixth place in the National League as they prepare for Saturday’s trip to another former Football League side in Dagenham and Redbridge.

The 14th-placed Daggers may have only won once in the eight games since Boxing Day but they’ve shown themselves to be a dangerous side if underestimated having recorded back-to-back victories over Salford City and Leyton Orient during the festive period.

Doswell expects to have a depleted squad for the trip to east London but hopes to have players back for the final months of the season.

“For us to be in the play-offs after the problems we’ve had is a minor miracle,” said the United boss.

“There were more players injured in the dressing room than there were available.

“It turns into a 13-game season, then if we can get a few players back - which will probably be after the Dagenham game - then we’ll be better off in numbers and the quality and depth of the squad.

“I have never known it in the 12 years I’ve been here, in terms of that many people not being available.

“But we go to Dagenham in good heart, we showed we can create chance and we’ll see if we can keep another clean sheet with that back five.”