VANARAMA NATIONAL LEAGUE

BARROW AFC 3 (Turnbull 38, Williams 57, Bennett 60) MAIDSTONE UNITED 0

PAUL Cox had spoken of his desire to see Barrow AFC reproduce one of their impressive away displays at Holker Street for their faithful fans.

The Bluebirds had impressed in beating Southport and Lincoln City on the road, they had shown their salt in a 0-0 draw at leaders Forest Green Rovers, yet on home turf they had failed to fire on all cylinders.

For 55 minutes on Saturday, against a Maidstone United side offering almost as much physical threat as their hosts, they did just that.

Paul Turnbull started them off with a first-half opener – his maiden goal since a summer move from Macclesfield Town – and Jordan Williams and Richie Bennett finished it off after the break.

Three goals, plenty more could have come such were the number of chances being created by a midfield and attack on top of their game, and a defence who would not buckle, led by the supreme Moussa Diarra and Danny Livesey, and all was rosy.

Cox still talks about more to come – as a manager it’s his job to demand improvement wherever he can find it – but there would be few words of complaint from anyone among the 1,402 inside Holker Street about what they saw on Saturday.

The Bluebirds once again perch inside the National League play-off places. They are 10 games unbeaten in fourth place, have kept three clean sheets in the last four games, and have not been beaten at home all term. Heady stuff.

It was a first half of minimal incisive goalmouth action – the long throw-ins of United’s Alex Flisher providing the main threat as they were launched into the home area, with Diarra, Livesey, Liam Hughes and Nick Anderton leaping high to dispel the danger.

Anthony Acheampong hit the side netting from one such set-up, but that was as close the Stones came.

Williams had an air shot on the corner of the area after a Turnbull free-kick was headed to his feet by Byron Harrison, then had two free-kicks from 20 and 25 yards, the first just over the bar after curling over the wall, the second much higher and further from the target.

Yemi Odebade was played into the AFC area on the right and shot at the near post, where Joel Dixon got down to his left to stop, while Liam Enver-Marum was put through by a Flisher throw from halfway, but scuffed an effort as he tried to turn the defence.

Dixon snaffled a Dan Sweeney header near the far post, while a quick Williams break, with Bennett and Ryan Yates in support, broke down as he lacked decisiveness near the area.

The deadlock was broken on 38 minutes after Yates was brought down by the booked Bobby Joe-Taylor 20 yards out to the left of the goal. Turnbull and Hughes both lined up behind the ball, with the former bending his effort past the wall and beyond the dive of Lee Worgan in the Maidstone goal.

Before the break, there could have been two or three more.

Bennett could not quite reach a well-weighted Williams cross when unmarked at the far post, Turnbull saw a sweetly-struck effort from 20 yards fly just the wrong side of the post as Worgan was beaten, and a Williams cross-cum-shot looked over the Stones keeper but went inches beyond the goal.

Out for the second half came the Bluebirds with the demands of Cox for an improved all-round display ringing in their ears.

Harrison powered away from his markers on the right and saw a near-post shot smothered by Worgan, Turnbull floated an effort towards the far top corner after a neat short-corner routine with Williams, but the Stones keeper was alert and clutched it from the air.

Worgan did spill a Harrison effort from the edge of the area after Bennett had set him up with another example of the blossoming partnership up-front, but the Maidstone man recovered before Bennett could reach the rebound.

It was one-way traffic and it was 2-0 before the hour when a cross to the far post went beyond the goal and Harrison moved into space to head it back to the feet of Williams. He controlled and shot through legs – taking a deflection off one before hitting the far upright and settling in the net.

Three minutes later, it was all over as a contest as Diarra met a long clearance and found Harrison, who played Bennett through. He broke past his marker into the area and slotted into the bottom corner past Worgan from 15 yards.

The game took a breather, with Tom Mills heading on to the roof of the net with Maidstone’s only opening, and Diarra preventing another as he slid in to take to ball from the feet of Flisher with a perfectly-timed challenge.

Substitute Ross Hannah could have added a fourth when another man brought on from the bench, Lindon Meikle, played him through on the left of the area. His shot was on target across the face of goal, but Worgan stuck out a leg and stopped it going in.

Harrison had an even better opportunity in stoppage time when he was put clean through, one-on-one with Worgan, but placed his effort wide of the far post to his own disappointment.

That was the only disappointment for the team, coaching staff and fans, though. A 3-0 win to move them up two places and send out another clear message of intent – Barrow really are among the National League contenders.

Barrow AFC: Joel Dixon, Shaun Beeley, Nick Anderton, Danny Livesey, Moussa Diarra, Paul Turnbull, Liam Hughes, Adam Yates, Richie Bennett (Ross Hannah 72), Byron Harrison, Jordan Williams.

Substitutes Not Used: Andy Haworth, Alex-Ray Harvey, Lindon Meikle, Akil Wright.

Yellow Cards: Liam Hughes (43), Jordan Williams (68), Shaun Beeley (77).

Maidstone United: Lee Worgan, Jack Evans, Tom Mills, Kevin Lokko, Anthony Acheampong, James Rodgers (Jack Paxman 61), Dan Sweeney, Bobby-Joe Taylor (Ben Greenhalgh 72), Yemi Odubade, Alex Flisher, Liam Enver-Marum (Tom Murphy 55).

Substitutes Not Used: Nathan Mavila, Sammie McLeod.

Yellow Cards: Bobby-Joe Taylor (37), Liam Enver-Marum (41), Yemi Odubade (84), Anthony Acheampong (90).

Referee: Chris O’Donnell.

Attendance: 1,402.