Manager Ian Evatt is delighted to see his ‘gamble’ in bringing midfielder Jason Taylor to Barrow AFC in the summer pay off.

Taylor – who has over 350 Football League appearances under his belt - arrived at Holker Street in July after being released by National League rivals AFC Fylde, where he only made five league starts.

The 31-year-old has since got his career back on track this season, starting in all but one game as a defensive midfielder and even captaining the side on the occasions club skipper Josh Granite has been out injured.

The only match he has missed ended in a 3-0 defeat against Eastleigh, where his leadership and calm was sorely missed, and his worth to the Bluebirds has been reinforced in their upturn in form since his return.

Evatt said: “I can’t speak highly enough of Jason. People were… not questioning me in the summer, but were asking me ‘are you sure about signing him?’

“I was never in any doubt from the moment I saw him because of the way he leads on the football field, the way his attitude is towards being a professional footballer, the way he trains every day.

“He gives everything, everything he’s got, every time he steps out on to a football pitch, whether that’s in training or in a match.

“I can’t ask any more than that and the way he leads this team, with his attributes and his attitude, is a credit to himself and certainly a credit to me.”