NICK Anderton believes Barrow AFC can take a shot of confidence into tomorrow’s National League battle with York City.

The Bluebirds won for the first time in six games when they came from 2-0 down to beat Matlock Town 3-2 in the FA Trophy last weekend, with all three goals coming in a nine-minute second-half burst.

It was a result that snapped a three-match losing streak and one that Anderton feels can help AFC get back to their best as they look to mount a National League promotion push.

That challenge restarts with tomorrow’s trip to rock-bottom York, before leaders Lincoln City and play-off contenders Forest Green Rovers head to Holker Street next week.

“We can definitely build on last Saturday’s result,” said Anderton ahead of the match-up with the Minstermen (3pm kick-off). “To come back from 2-0 down and win 3-2 shows the fight that we’ve got.

“We’re all working hard and we’re just trying to get back to the sort of results we had for those 26 games.

“For the games where our form slipped, it wasn’t that we weren’t giving 100 per cent effort – that’s what we always do – it was just one of those things where we don’t click.

“But to go two-down, we all reacted and we came back to what we are all about.

“To come back from 2-0 down in any game is great, but the fact we had lost the three before it and we got through gives us that bit of confidence going into the York game. We know what to expect with York. They’ve made some signings and they’re going to be battling because they are bottom of the league, but if we go out and do what we can do, then we’ve got nothing to fear.”

Having no fear is something Anderton feels will be key for Barrow to regain the form that saw them go 26 matches without defeat between mid-August and New year’s Eve – a period during which York won just three National League games.

The 20-year-old former Preston North End junior feels the recent defeats may well prove just the jolt that was needed to spur the Bluebirds back to their best.

Manager Paul Cox has spoken of a lull after the FA Cup third-round loss to Rochdale, while Anderton admits that before the losses to Dale, Gateshead and Southport the team had been so keen to remain unbeaten that they sometimes forgot to play for the win.

“The Rochdale game did maybe affect us a little bit, but I think before the Rochdale game our performances weren’t as good as they had been, after all, we had the hype around the Bristol Rovers game (where Barrow won 2-1 in the FA Cup second round) as well,” the full-back said.

“With the run of results we’d been on, we needed a kick up the backside to get us back into the routine and into the same way of playing as we had been, so we could go into this part of the season, which is very important.

“For 26 games, going into some of them, because we all knew about the run we were on, it was more a case of not losing than going out to win.

“Now that’s gone, we’re back to having no fear. We’re going into the last 20 games in the league and hopefully looking to get into the best position that we can.”

Tomorrow’s game may seem to be the perfect platform to record a first National League success since the 4-1 win at Dagenham and Redbridge at the end of November – covering a period where AFC have often been in FA Cup or FA Trophy action.

But Anderton knows York have strengthened during the transfer window and are a much-changed team from that which lost 2-0 to the Bluebirds in September.

He added: “It shows how competitive this league is. They’ve dropped out of the Football League and now they’re struggling in this league. It shows that the gap between what people see as a League club and one in a Conference is so small.

“Every team has a dip in form during a season, but now they are going to be battling for results and they’ve brought some experienced players in.

“It’s a completely different side to when we last played them. They’ve got Jon Parkin up top, so they are obviously going to hit him. They’re battling for results and that’s the way they are going to play.

“We know what to expect, we’ve spoken in training and all the boys are mentally right, we’re all a close group and we’re hoping to start the run of results again.”