BUILDBASE FA TROPHY ROUND TWO

BARROW AFC 3 (Bennett 64, 70, Livesey 73) MATLOCK TOWN 2 (Dinanga 48pen, 56)

THE FA Trophy dream lives on at Holker Street – but for the third time this season, Barrow did not make it easy for themselves.

After two nail-biting matches against Harrogate Town in December, the Bluebirds looked to be heading out of the competition once more on Saturday.

After 56 minutes, Matlock Town, the only Evo-Stick Northern Premier League team left in the Trophy, led 2-0, fully deserved their advantage and looked nailed-on to be heading for the last-16.

Barrow were flat, unable to produce anything of quality and looking exactly like a team without a win in five matches and having lost their last three.

After Marcus Dinanga had netted his second from the edge of the area, the crowd were unhappy.

There were boos on the terraces, the players were arguing among themselves and there were huge groans when the substitute board went up and it was Ross Hannah coming off for Byron Harrison, and not Richie Bennett.

Yet it was Bennett who was to turn the game on its head as the hosts bagged three goals in nine minutes and went on to look back towards their best in the closing stages. Bennett first headed in from close-range after a Liam Hughes header across the face of the goal, then controlled a throw into the box perfectly, turned and fired into the far corner.

Add a Danny Livesey header from a corner to give them the lead, and Barrow suddenly appeared to be a side enjoying their football once more.

Now they are just one game from an FA Trophy quarter-final, and have some confidence back going into a run of fixtures against York City, Lincoln City and Forest Green Rovers that could well shape how their National League promotion push pans out.

With that in mind, manager Paul Cox made five changes, bringing in Euan Murray, Hughes, Paul Turnbull, Ross Hannah and Lindon Meikle to the starting line-up after the 1-0 defeat to Southport.

Yet Saturday’s match went the whole 45 minutes of the first half without looking like producing a goal for either side and with Matlock matching a team two divisions above them on the ladder.

Town had the first opportunity as former Bluebird Ted Cribley – a man who never really showed his best ay Holker Street – blazed over on the turn, before Bennett latched on to a clever Meikle through ball but snatched at it and fired the ball out of the ground.

Marc Newsham hooked over the bar from low to the ground and Moussa Diarra went to the edge of the area to meet a Turnbull corner, met it with power, but was off target.

Diarra did well to dispossess Dinanga as he threatened to run clear on goal at the other end, while Hannah tested Philip Barnes with a 20-yard left-footer that the keeper got down to easily enough.

Nico Degirolamo rose to head a Cribley free-kick off-target at the far post before the half was out, but none of those in the ground could claim to have seen a golden chance to break the deadlock, nor to be able to tell the difference in levels between the teams.

It was a disastrous start to the second half for the home side, as Jon Flatt went to make a clearance and scooped the ball high into the air to the corner of his own area.

Nick Anderton went to meet it with Cribley and pushed the Matlock man to the ground. Referee Dean Treleaven – on holiday in the area from Portsmouth in one of the more unusual officiating appointments of the season – pointed to the spot.

Dinanga stepped up and lifted it casually into the back of the net as Flatt dived to his right. The visitors led.

They should have been two in front when Michael Williams headed wide when free in space at the far post after Turnbull had given the ball away at the edge of the area. They thought they were two up when Niall McManus broke past Anderton and slotted past Flatt, but Mr Treleaven had already blown for a foul by the Matlock man, much to his despair.

It was 2-0 when Dinanga received a throw-in on the 18-yard line, turned inside and unleashed a powerful effort into the bottom corner that gave Flatt no chance and had the home support hanging their heads.

They became vocal in their disapproval when Hannah made way for Harrison, calling for Bennett to be the man to leave the field, only for the tall striker to immediately find the net.

He was well placed to meet the ball as Hughes headed a cross from the left back across goal, with Bennett diving at full stretch to connect and put it in the back of the net.

With Jordan Williams and Harry Panayiotou now on, the Bluebirds were starting to press and they were level as a Williams throw-in found Bennett in the middle of the area. He controlled superbly with one touch, turned and fired into the bottom corner with the next. Those critics on the terraces were now among those cheering his efforts.

Diarra had a shot deflected wide from 12 yards and then came the winner as Livesey rose highest near the middle of the goal and headed down and into the net, sparking wild celebrations.

Rather than Matlock look likely to bag a late leveller, it was AFC who had the chances of a fourth.

Bennett ran through the defence to the by-line and Barnes spilled his low cross, regathering before Panayiotou could pounce.

Harrison then won a ball from Barnes as the keeper tried to claim at the edge of the area, but his shot was over the bar, before Bennett was sent through by a long clearance only to scuff his effort wide.

Turnbull volleyed at Barnes after Bennett picked him out in the area in injury time, but those missed chances did not prove costly as Barrow advanced.

Matlock were left to wonder what might have been and how they were not in the hat, the Bluebirds to smile, knowing they had enjoyed a great escape to ensure they are.

Barrow AFC: Jon Flatt, Euan Murray, Nick Anderton, Danny Livesey, Moussa Diarra, Liam Hughes, Paul Turnbull, Akil Wright, Richie Bennett, Ross Hannah (Byron Harrison 61), Lindon Meikle (Jordan Williams 55).

Substitutes Not Used: Harry Panayiotou, Dan Rowe, Myles Anderson.

Yellow Cards: Bennett (31), Murray (81), Harrison (83).

Matlock Town: Philip Barnes, Liam Marsden, Adam Yates, Joe Doyle-Charles, Nico Degirolamo, Dwayne Wiley, Niall McManus, Michael Williams, Marc Newsham (Alex Pursehouse 63), Marcus Dinanga, Ted Cribley.

Substitutes Not Used: Jake Green, Mason Warren, Jamie Yates, Kevin Grocott.

Referee: Dean Treleaven (Portsmouth).

Attendance: 976.