BARROW AFC manager Paul Cox gained a lot from the side’s 4-2 Lancashire Senior Cup win over Bury.

The Bluebirds reached the quarter-finals of the competition thanks to a Ross Hannah hat-trick and a goal from loan recruit Akil Wright at Holker Street.

The duo were two of seven first-team squad members named in the starting XI to take on a Bury side made up of mostly Academy players, with two first-team squad members as well.

Cox otherwise included nine members of the AFC Performance Centre Under-18s set-up for the fixture, with Harry Mellen, Josh Woodend, Tom Unwin and Callum Fawcett all starting, and all but Fawcett playing the full 90 minutes.

In addition, Jamie Hodgson, Jack Elliot and Ben Stoker came off the bench, on a night when the Barrow manager had a real look at the young talent coming up through the ranks at Barrow.

Cox said the result was not something that had concerned him beforehand and, while pleased with the scoreline, he was happier still with what all the players involved took from the night.

“It was a game we went into that was important for this football club, but – and this is probably the first time I’ve said this – I wasn’t really too concerned about what the score was,” said the AFC manager.

“We had a number of the youth players from the club out there with some first-teamers. I wanted the first-team players to go out there and get some match time without getting injured, because we’ve got a big game on Saturday. I wanted the kids to come in and show me what they could do.

“The whole night has been one massive positive for Barrow Football Club. One, it’s building, it’s showing we have got some decent kids who want to come in, want to learn, want to work hard, and who can get results but also try and play the game in the right way. Hopefully they can take this club forward in the coming years.”

Cox wanted the youngsters to enjoy a happy first experience in the Barrow team, hence telling them there was no pressure on them to get a result.

He added: “I told them before the game that it could turn out to be a bad experience, depending on what side Bury put out and what the score was. But those bad experiences, it’s 99.9 per cent certain to become a good experience, because you learn from it.

“We made a few mistakes early on, as we expected. But I wanted the kids to play with a smile on their face, I didn’t want them to feel under pressure, or that it was a must-win game. I wanted them to be themselves in and learn what it is all about.

“I got more than enough back from both sets – from the experienced boys and the kids.”