BARROW AFC supporters would rather not reflect on their team’s efforts in the FA Cup in the last two seasons.

This is because they have had to endure them getting knocked out on both occasions by lower-league sides in the fourth qualifying round, depriving the Bluebirds of the chance to face Football League opposition.

The disappointment of that comes from knowing that their club are more than capable of rising to the occasion in the world’s oldest cup competition and being the giant killers themselves.

In fact, a decade ago AFC produced one of their most famous results in recent memory when Brentford, then of League Two, came a cropper at a raucous Holker Street in the second round.

Co-managed by Darren Sheridan and Dave Bayliss, Barrow had been riding on the crest of a wave in 2008 after winning promotion to the Conference (or Blue Square Premier, if we are being contemporaneous).

The duo took charge of the Bluebirds with them 20th in the Conference North the previous December before leading them on a remarkable rise that culminated in a play-off final victory over Stalybridge Celtic.

Their first campaign in the fifth tier for nine years was turning into a struggle, despite a promising start, but after defeating Tamworth in the first round of the Cup, excitement was high for the visit of the Bees.

Not only was Holker Street set for its highest attendance in years, but the eyes of the nation would be on it, with the match being shown live by Setanta Sports (remember them?).

Ahead of the match, Bayliss told The Mail: “We’re going to go out there tonight and give it our all, we won’t be holding anything back.”

His players were true to his word, as AFC made light of the 35 league places that separated them and Brentford, who were flying high in their division, in front of a bumper Friday-night crowd of 3,120.

They dominated the first half and had their reward after 39 minutes when they were awarded a penalty after Brentford ‘keeper Ben Hamer fumbled a back header and hauled down Jason Walker in trying to reclaim the ball.

Hamer was shown a red card and the first task of his replacement Lloyd Anderson, who was just 18, was to pick David Brown’s spot kick out of the net after being sent the wrong way.

Despite being down to ten men, Brentford flew out of the traps in the second half and equalised on 50 minutes when Charlie MacDonald poked in from close range after Sam Wood’s cross was deflected his way.

But a player who’d already written his name into AFC folklore sealed the shock with 19 minutes left.

Paul Brown fizzed in an in-swinging cross from left that was flicked goalwards by David Brown, with Matt Henney, the man whose goal had earned promotion, on hand to tap in from right on the line at the back post.

Walker went on to hit the bar in the closing stages, as the Bluebirds saw the game out for their first win over a Football League opponent since they lost their own status in 1972.

Their match winner was now eyeing a dream third-round tie against his boyhood heroes.

“It’s got to be Liverpool at Anfield,” Henney said. “I fancy my chances against that [Andrea] Dossena – he’s terrible. Have you seen him? I’d have a go at him I think.”

In the end, it was not Liverpool, but Barrow still had a trip to a Premier League ground to look forward to, after they were drawn away to Middlesbrough, managed by Gareth Southgate.

Over 7,000 AFC supporters made the journey to the Riverside Stadium, where their team once again did them proud, as they fell to a narrow 2-1 defeat with Walker’s 80th-minute goal giving them one last great moment to cheer.