Last updated at 12:27, Sunday, 25 March 2012

Blue Square Bet Premier: Barrow AFC 0 Braintree Town 4

Goals: Braintree: Aswad Thomas (25), Jai Reason (penalty, 29), Ben Wright (45+3), Jamie Guy (90+3)

Attendance: 939 (including 20 Braintree supporters and 100 corporate guests)

BARROW AFC crumbled to their biggest home defeat of the season as they were beaten 4-0 by mid-table rivals Braintree Town at a sun-kissed Furness Building Society Stadium.

The Bluebirds have now lost - and failed to score - in their last five games in Blue Square Bet Premier. 

Richie Baker missed an early chance for Barrow, before Braintree took the lead on 25 minutes. The goal came from left-back Aswad Thomas, who smashed the ball into the roof of the net from 14 yards out.

The visitors doubled their lead just four minutes later when Bluebirds defender Gavin Skelton was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the box and Jai Reason slotted the resulting penalty-kick into the bottom corner.

Braintree then added a third in first-half stoppage time when striker Ben Wright found plenty of space inside the box and crashed the ball into the back of the net.

The Bluebirds improved after the interval but the only goal of the second half came in stoppage time when substitute Jamie Guy netted at the near post.

AFC now sit 13th in the table, one place below Braintree, with six games left to play.

Barrow made four changes to the side that was thumped 7-0 at Mansfield Town, with new goalkeeper Jack Cudworth, midfielders Baker and Alex-Ray Harvey as well as winger Jack Mackreth all brought into the starting XI. Striker Adam Boyes and defender Paul Edwards dropped to the bench, with injured keeper Shaun Pearson and full-back Kelvin Lomax the other two to make way.

Barrow (4-3-3): Jack Cudworth; Paul Smith, Gavin Skelton, Phil Bolland (captain), Danny Hone; James Owen (Adam Boyes 46), Alex-Ray Harvey, Richie Baker; Jack Mackreth (Joe Jackson 63), Paul Rutherford, Andy Cook. Subs: Stuart Dixon, Andy Nicholas, Paul Edwards.

Booked: Skelton (29), Hone (30), Cook (38)

Braintree (4-4-2): Nathan McDonald, Pat O'Connor, Aswad Thomas, Dean Wells, Adam Bailey-Dennis; Billy Gibson (Joel Appiah-Kubi 90), Kenny Davis (captain) (Brad Quinton 86), Matt Paine, Jai Reason; Ben Wright (Jamie Guy 72), Sean Marks. Subs: Ashley Jones, Nicky Symons.

Booked: Bailey-Dennis (43), Reason (89)

Referee: Seb Stockbridge (Durham)

Updates here and on Twitter (follow @lprocter)

See Monday's Evening Mail for full report, photos and post-match reaction

First published at 13:47, Saturday, 24 March 2012
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk