EMIRATES FA CUP FOURTH QUALIYING ROUND

BARROW AFC 2 (Bennett 16, Turnbull 64) TRANMERE ROVERS 1 (Diarra 25og)

THE FA Cup dream has been an elusive, ethereal beast at Holker Street of late.

In the two-and-a-half years since Paul Casson took over as owner of the Bluebirds, Barrow AFC have not won a single game in the competition. Not one.

For each of the past two seasons, they have fallen at the first hurdle, against giants the likes of Runcorn Town and AFC Fylde. Defeat to the latter went a long way towards costing Darren Edmondson his job last season, and this was Paul Cox’s first venture in the competition with Barrow. The draw could hardly have handed him a tougher test than the visit of a reinvigorated Tranmere under new boss Mickey Mellen.

Rovers should have posed much trickier opponents than the Bluebirds’ conquerors of the past seasons and yet at Holker Street on Saturday, they never stood a chance.

Richie Bennett, a man with seven goals to his name now this season, and Paul Turnbull, with his second in as many matches, made sure Moussa Diarra’s own-goal did not prove costly as AFC kept their visitors wrapped up, under control, and out of contention.

Had it not been for that unfortunate Diarra moment midway through the first half, they would have struggled to score against this Barrow team even if they had played until Christmas.

The visitors mustered only one shot on target all game – it came in the 88th minute was no threat to goalkeeper Joel Dixon at all – while AFC were the same side they have been in recording a 10-match unbeaten run in the National League before this cup encounter.

That run now reads 11 in all competitions – discounting the non-first-team Lancashire Senior Cup success in midweek – and no-one will want to see the Bluebirds paired with them in the first round when the draw is held tonight.

The next stage offers 48 Football League sides – Sheffield United, Carlisle United and Blackpool among them – and all are potential victims of this Paul Cox side, who are showing no signs of letting up in their onward march.

They showed their early intent as a long throw from Jordan Williams led to a defensive scramble – former Barrow man Steve McNulty and centre-back partner Michael Ihiekwe struggled to deal with the set-piece threat all afternoon – and Nick Anderton was the man to shoot, his skipping effort saved by Scott Davies down to his left.

A Bennett cross from the right caught Rovers out again, but it was beyond Byron Harrison, while a Williams ball in from the left could only be turned wide by the same man at the near post.

Another set-piece led to the opener after Ben Tollitt brought down Harrison near the corner flag on the right. Williams delivered perfectly, the defence and Davies were caught napping, and Bennett was on the line to head into the roof of the goal.

How Rovers came to be level with the next chance of the game some nine minutes later was a situation entirely of the home side’s making.

Tranmere had offered no goalmouth threat, Andy Cook was non-existent on his return to Holker Street, and the home defence was well on top.

Yet an equaliser came as a nothing ball into the AFC area was flicked on by Diarra, who had not noticed Dixon coming off his line behind him and flicked the ball over his keeper and into the net. It was a rare misstep from a player who has been dominant of late in the back line.

The goal led to a frantic period – a Diarra header down in the Rovers area was met by Harrison, whose effort was blocked as it headed for goal; Shaun Beeley did superbly well to dispossess Lois Maynard as he fund space to the left of the goal; and Dixon spilled a Tollitt cross and had to be quick to react to take the rebound before Maynard got there.

Play was confined to the middle of the pitch leading up to the break, though a Williams free-kick was only inches from finding the head of the nodding Diarra as he ran on goal.

Another Williams cross soon after the break saw Anderton play back to Turnbull, who scuffed a shot wide of goal.

Bennett was offside when he hooked a Diarra header goalward from close-range, and another Williams throw was flicked on by Diarra, again catching Davies out and having to be hacked clear by McNulty as it headed for the line.

The pressure kept building and it led to one of the best goals of the season so far from the Bluebirds.

Neat interplay down the right led to Harrison timing a perfect ball for Ryan Yates to run on to just inside the area. He beat the offside trap, controlled and cut back for the run of Turnbull on the edge of the area. The midfielder made no mistake as he slid the ball perfectly into the bottom right corner from 18 yards, leaving Davies with no chance.

The chances kept coming for AFC: Bennett headed a Yates cross softly at Davies from deep; and Yates then flicked the ball to Bennett in space in the area, with the striker’s snap shot blocked at point-blank range by the keeper. Did Davies know anything about it? It’s doubtful, but he still stopped it.

Tranmere became more desperate and edgy, with McNulty booked for repeatedly pushing just about every AFC player in front of him. The yellow card was greeted warmly by the supporters of his former club.

Cook hit a looping effort well off-target with his only shot of the game and substitute Darren Stephenson shot at Dixon from the right flank with their only shot on target of the game.

Those who recalled the stunning turnaround in January, when Rovers won 4-3 having been 3-1 down going into the 90th minute, were not counting their chickens, but this is a different side, a different season and Barrow were not rolling over. Instead they are in the hat for tonight’s draw and will be ready and waiting for whoever comes next.

Barrow AFC (4-4-2): Joel Dixon, Shaun Beeley, Nick Anderton, Danny Livesey, Moussa Diarra, Akil Wright, Paul Turnbull, Ryan Yates, Richie Harrison, Byron Harrison, Jordan Williams.

Substitutes Not Used: Andy Coughlin, Andy Haworth, Alex-Ray Harvey, Ross Hannah, Harry Panayiotou, Lindon Meikle, Euan Murray.

Yellow Cards: Diarra (82), Jordan Williams (90).

Tranmere Rovers (4-5-1): Scott Davies, Ritchie Bennett, Liam Ridehalgh, Steve McNulty, Michael Ihiekwe, Steve Jennings, Lois Maynard, Jay Harris (Jake Kirby h/t), Ben Tollitt (Adam Mekki 65), Andy Cook, Mitch Duggan (Darren Stephenson 74).

Substitutes Not Used: Iain Turner, Lee Vaughan, Elliot Osborne, Sam Ilesamni.

Yellow Cards: Ihiekwe (80), McNulty (82).

Referee: Martin Coy.

Attendance: 2,133 (186 from Tranmere).