IN-FORM goal-getter Richie Bennett acclaimed Barrow AFC's character as they head into tomorrow's match-up with Torquay United.

The Bluebirds have survived being reduced to first nine men, then 10, in their last two games to come away with results.

AFC battled from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Aldershot last weekend, despite having Shaun Beeley and Nick Anderton dismissed, and followed that immense effort with a 10-man victory at Macclesfield on Wednesday.

Bennett was the man on target from the penalty spot at Moss Rose as Barrow climbed back into the National League play-off spots not withstanding Akil Wright's early bath after he picked up two yellow cards.

It was a sixth goal in seven matches for the 6ft 3in front man, who has stepped up to the plate in the absence of top-scorer Byron Harrison over the past three weeks.

And Bennett was quick to hail the fortitude and belief among the AFC squad to have overcome the odds in each of their last two matches, results which have seen them move back up to fifth in the table ahead of Torquay's visit to Holker Street (3pm kick-off).

“To go away to Aldershot and get a point, we would have taken a point with 11 men, let alone being down to nine,” said the 25-year-old striker. “To then take three points at Macclesfield, again it's a hard place to go with 11 men.

“To have been two men down and a man down, to go and draw at Aldershot and win at Macclesfield, it shows a lot of the great characters we have in the squad and the amount of belief we have as a team and individually.

“We train day-in, day-out, with each other, so we know we've got the quality, we've got the characters and the belief in the squad to go and win, even with nine men or 10 men.

“We know we've got players on the bench who can come on and make a big impact, as Ross (Hannah) has proven by coming on and scoring a brilliant free-kick for us to get a point away from home. Getting three points at Macclesfield as well shows tremendous character in the squad.”

Bennett hopes the character displayed in the past two games can come to the fore again over the coming weeks and months, as Barrow try to clinch promotion and go for glory in the FA Trophy as well.

The aim is to rekindle the form which saw them go 26 games unbeaten across all competitions between August and December, and Bennett believes that potential is there for AFC to be just as horrible for opponents as they were then.

“We've got to get back to the team that we were when we went on the unbeaten run – that horrible, hard-working team that we were,” he said. “We were scraping wins which were great results away from home.

“We've got to get into that mentality of, whoever we are playing, we've got to go out, get a result, keep working hard. We've no doubt that we've got goals in our team, as we've proven.”

While Barrow's last four National League matches have all been against sides in the hunt for the play-offs or automatic promotion, tomorrow sees them come up again a team at the other end of the table.

The Gulls are 18th, just three places and four points above the relegation zone, but Bennett is aware they will be every bit as keen to add points to their tally as the clubs at the opposite extreme in the division.

“I never go off the table,” said Bennett. “I know that with every game, if you don't go in with the same mentality as if you were playing Lincoln, then you'' get punished. They've got a lot to fight for when they're down there, they want to stay up, they've got a point to prove.

“If you go into the game thinking you are playing a side at the bottom of the table and it's going to be easy, it will probably bite you on the bum.”

One man sure to have a point to prove in the Torquay squad is central defender Myles Anderson, released from his contract to move to Plainmoor last week.

There is the potential Anderson and Bennett could find themselves up against each other man-to-man, just as another ex-Bluebird Andy Haworth did when he face his former team for Macclesfield on Wednesday.

“It's good to see them, it's good to play against them,” said Bennett. “Myles is a nice lad, he's a good trainer, a good professional. And I've no doubt if he is playing that it will be a tough encounter. It's something I will be looking forward to.

“I'm sure he's aware of my strengths and weaknesses, so it will be a good test for myself, but I've just got to keep winning those personal battles. It doesn't matter if it's against Myles or anyone else in the league, as long as I'm winning my personal battles and trying to get a goal, that will be a key thing.”