PAUL Cox admits to feeling 'like a little kid' as he oversees Barrow AFC's unexpected push for the National League play-offs.

The manager admits his Bluebirds side are well ahead of schedule as they enter the final month of a season which has seen them exceed all expectation.

Sitting sixth ahead of Saturday's trip to relegation battlers Maidstone United, outside the play-offs on goal difference alone, AFC have been the surprise package in the division this term.

With wins over four of the top five sides this season – including doubles over Lincoln and Dagenham – and at 26-game unbeaten run across all competitions between August and December, it has truly been a year to remember.

And Cox says he is fully embracing the situation he and the team find themselves in, enjoying it to the full and brushing any element of pressure aside.

“I’m loving it,” he said. “If anyone sees my down on the touchline, I’m like a little kid.

“We’re going to enjoy it. For me, this isn’t pressure; for me, this is the great thing about football – this is enjoying it. Winning games like on Tuesday, this is what gets the adrenaline going.

“We’ve had a 26-game unbeaten run, we’ve been in and around the play-offs all year, and it has been superb.

“It’s been a great season and it is developing into an intriguing end to the season. When we look back at the end of the season, I want us to look back with a sense of pride.

“Whatever happens, these boys are really working hard for this football club and we’re at the start of something.”