Chorley 3 Barrow AFC 2

A couple of familiar faces came back to haunt Barrow AFC on what turned out to be an FA Cup calamity for the Bluebirds at Chorley.

There was no hint of what was to come at half-time, with Barrow 2-0 up, despite not having been at their best, and looking set to put last year’s shock result at Shaw Lane behind them.

Unfortunately, this afternoon turned out another that AFC supporters will want to have blanked from their memories, as their players collectively fell apart against an admittedly impressive Chorley side.

The Magpies showed exactly why they’re unbeaten this season and top of National League North, but the bottom line is they were helped along the way by as poor a 45 minutes Barrow have produced this season.

In the end, quickfire goals from Louis Almond and Marcus Carver – two players who had loan spells at Holker Street – condemned them to a weekend off nobody wanted next month.

Brian Wilson made his first start in over two months, in one of two changes from the defeat at Bromley, as he replaced the injured Josh Granite, while Rhys Norrington-Davies came in for Lee Molyneux at left-back.

There were four former Bluebirds in Chorley’s line-up and one of them, Alex Newby, had the first shot in anger in the third minute, which was thankfully straight at Andy Firth.

It was part of a lively start from the Magpies, who were showing no sign of the sort of spoiling tactics that so frustrated AFC’s players last week, befitting of a team in the sort of form they’re in.

But Barrow were providing a threat of their own and it brought its reward after 16 minutes when Norrington-Davies did brilliantly to get in round the back, with his cut-back giving Luke Burgess a tap-in.

How Ian Evatt would have been pleased at that moment that the 19-year-old, on loan from Wigan, had made such a swift recovery from his blow to the head at Bromley.

Alex Newby then bent a shot just over from the edge of the area, as Chorley tried to show that their visitors’ opener hadn’t fazed them.

The hosts were in fact starting to dominate possession, with Firth showing superb reflexes to tip Dan Jones’ deflection from Almond’s low cross from the right over the bar and prevent the own goal.

The horde of Barrow fans would have been pleased to hear the half-time whistle at this point, but they were left celebrating a second goal right before the break.

It was, however, an absolute gift, as Andy Teague and Chorley goalkeeper Matt Urwin failed to deal with a hopeful long ball, which allowed Smith to nip in and roll into an empty net.

It took just 33 seconds of the second half for the lead to be halved, however, as Almond found Matt Challoner in too much space down the right, and the wing-back shot low across Firth and into the bottom corner.

Courtney Meppen-Walter, one of the centre backs, typified the confidence Chorley were showing with a 45-yard lob that had Firth worried for a split-second.

It was then Barrow’s turn to be doling out the presents, as Norrington-Davies’ header fell short, allowing Almond to nip in front of Firth and clip the ball into the net to equalise.

The Bluebirds were all over the place now and they needed Firth to produce a sharp save to deny Carver and prevent them falling behind.

But that’s exactly what happened with 20 minutes left, as Chorley completed an amazing turnaround when Kieran Glynn found Carver in space and he finished clinically, in off the post.

Barrow continued to look disjointed to the last and when Josh Kay’s stoppage-time free kick deflected gently into Urwin’s half, their FA Cup goose was cooked.

Chorley (5-3-2): Urwin, Challoner, Teague, Leather, Meppen-Walter, Blakeman, A Newby (Glynn 60), O’Keefe, E Newby, Carver, Almond (Whitham 87)

Subs not used: Cottrell, Anson, Jordon, Noble-Lazarus, Eccles

Barrow AFC (4-2-3-1): Firth, Brown, Wilson, Jones, Norrington-Davies, Rooney (Mulholland 83), Taylor, Sousa (Kay 71), Burgess, Hindle, Smith

Subs not used: Dixon, Barthram, Jameson, Molyneux, Jennings

Referee: Andrew Miller

Attendance: 1,734