BARROW AFC bounce back to Holker Street tonight hot on the heels of a much-needed win at Maidstone.

The Bluebirds climbed a place to 19th in the National League on the back of Luke James's winner in Kent.

Now, they aim to end their long wait for a home win – stretching back 115 days to their 3-1 triumph over Aldershot Town on October 28 – by beating a Gateshead team they have already turned over on the road this season (7.45pm kick-off).

Victory would provide Ady Pennock's men with a second National League double of the season – they beat Woking both home and away for their only other to date – with the potential for them to climb further up the table and increase the two-point gap they have on the bottom-four.

A repeat of last week's performance, when they matched promotion-chasing Sutton United and were unlucky to only take a point in a 1-1 draw, would go a long way to achieving that goal, with Pennock desperate to claim the win for the supporters.

“I am desperate to win at home for our home fans,” he said following the Maidstone success. “They gave us a great reception at the end of the game last Tuesday.

“The only thing that was missing was the extra two points that we deserved.”

James's first goal for Barrow at Maidstone came in his third appearance since joining on loan from League Two Forest Green Rovers.

New AFC assistant manager Jamie Day has been impressed with what he has seen from the striker, who is set to start up front again tonight.

“He's done really well; he's a good player, Luke,” said Day, who himself only arrived as part of the Barrow set-up last week. “He's someone I've seen before, I really like him and I think he could be a real asset to this club. Hopefully he can keep putting in good performances and get more goals to match it.”

James has formed a partnership with Grant Holt since his arrival at AFC, and Day added: “He's different to Holty, gives you another option. You've got Harry (Panayiotou) as well, so we've got a combination of players of different types and they will all be used from now until the end of the season.”

James himself is hoping the players can start to claim a run of wins, knowing the squad is better than their recent home results suggest.

“We want to get as many wins under our belt as possible and keep moving up the league,” he said.

“Being with the lads day in, day out, we have got a very good set of lads here. We just need to show that.”

Tonight will see Kingsley James involved with Barrow for the first time in a home game since signing on loan from Chester for the rest of the season last week.

One man who will not feature in the AFC squad tonight – though he has made only one appearance in 2018 – is Paul Bignot, who has departed Holker Street.

The experienced defender arrived on non-contract terms in September – when elder brother Paul was working as assistant manager to Micky Moore for the Bluebirds.

After making his debut as a substitute in the 1-1 home draw with Torquay United on September 12, Bignot went on to make 11 starts and one further appearance from the bench.

However, the 32-year-old's start in the FA Trophy second round replay defeat against Brackley Town at Holker Street last month was his last.

Barrow AFC issued a statement confirming Bignot's exit, saying: “Everyone at Barrow AFC thanks him for his efforts for us since joining back in September.”