Published at 15:56, Friday, 22 February 2013

LEADING marksman Adam Boyes has set his sights on lifting the bar on his best goal haul for a single season to fire relegation-threatened Barrow AFC to safety.

SHARP SHOOTER Adam Boyes nets against Nuneaton last weekend

The highly-rated 22-year-old striker achieved his current best total last season by scoring 22 goals, in 46 appearances, after sealing his switch to Holker Street from Boston United.

And Boyes is back at the top of the club’s scoring charts this term, having netted 16 times during 40 outings, and now he is eyeing the 25-goal mark.

Boyes will get the chance to edge closer to his target tomorrow when the Bluebirds resume their relegation fight at fellow strugglers Lincoln City who have failed to register a clean sheet in their previous 17 games.

“I got 22 goals last season and I would like to beat that total by a few more goals this year if I can keep going the way I have been,” said Boyes.

“There are 15 games left, so I think scoring another nine goals is possible. I look to get a goal in every game, so even though I might not get chances in some games I should be able to get nine goals and hopefully help the team stay up as well.

“As a striker, you want to keep bettering yourself so if I get 25 this year, I’d want to get over that mark and aim for something like 30 goals next year.”

Boyes hopes he will play a part at Sincil Bank despite suffering a dead leg in Tuesday’s 2-0 home win over Woking.

That victory, Barrow’s first in five matches, was sealed by a superbly executed 53rd-minute free kick from Boyes’s strike partner Danny L Rowe who bagged his third goal in Barrow colours after arriving on loan from League Two side Fleetwood Town in January. And Boyes has enjoyed linking up with the ‘creative’ 23-year-old who has relieved much of the attacking burden from his shoulders.

“Danny is a good player and he seems to create a lot more chances for me, because he looks up and plays through balls,” added Boyes.

“I think we react well to each other and he takes a bit of the pressure off, because it was usually me who had to win the flick-ons. But he’s a big lad and he’s winning his headers.

“We’ve had a few other loan lads at the club who started off all right, but then went a bit off the boil. We obviously hope Danny won’t do that, and he looks like the type of player who won’t, because his attitude is right so hopefully he’ll keep going and help the team.”

Boyes failed to get on the scoresheet when Barrow fell to a 2-1 home defeat by Lincoln in November, while they have not tasted victory at Sincil Bank, since April 1971, when they secured a comfortable-looking 3-0 win.

Granted, Barrow have only played at the home of the Imps on two more occasions since then, but Boyes is hoping they can capitalise on any uncertainty engulfing managerless Lincoln, after they parted company with previous boss David Holdsworth last Sunday.

“When we played Lincoln earlier in the season, it was an even game, but they took their chances – I think it will be a close game tomorrow,” added Boyes.

“They’ve just lost their manager, so hopefully that will be a disadvantage to them if they are disorganised at all.

“So, hopefully, if we can turn up, play our usual game and go out there and get the points.”

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