For the second game in a row, Barrow AFC will be facing a team struggling in the National League, but manager Ian Evatt is solely focused on ensuring his team keep up their recent revival.

Maidstone United visit Holker Street tomorrow with their status in the division very much in jeopardy, as they are third-from-bottom in the table and two points adrift of safety.

In contrast, the Bluebirds are able to look upwards again after seven points from their last three games moved them into the top half, with the last of those seeing them do a professional job in picking up a 2-0 win at rock-bottom Braintree last Saturday.

They were defeated 1-0 by the Stones at the reverse fixture in August, although the Kent side still replaced long-serving manager Jay Saunders with Harry Wheeler just a few weeks later.

When asked whether the change in regime would mean a different approach from them, Evatt said: “Obviously, we do our homework and we watch games and we know that this is going to be a difficult game – every game in the National League is a difficult game.

“But I’m not one of those coaches that worries or thinks about the opposition too much, I believe in my own players and my own team.

“If we can turn up and control the controllables and play how we play and play to the maximum potential that we’ve got, then I know we’ll win, it’s that simple.

“It’s not being over-confident or arrogant, it’s just that I have that belief in my players.”

Having been on their travels for most of the last couple of months – Barrow have only had three home games since October 6 – Barrow will be back to home comforts for much of the rest of December.

Barring a potential FA Trophy replay, Saturday’s match against Maidstone is the start of a run of fixtures that sees AFC take to the field at Holker Street in four of their next five matches.

Evatt said: “I love playing at home and hopefully we can get the fans back through the gates and get the atmosphere up because when the fans are singing like they do and when the players are confident, it’s a really tough place to come and get results.

“This Christmas period is vital to the season – it will probably tell us where we’re going to be come the end of it, whether we’ll be mid-table or whether we can have a push towards the play-offs.

“It starts on Saturday and we’re under no illusions that we need to go to Holker Street on and get three points and set us up for a good Christmas period.”

Evatt will be hoping for more of the solidity that has allowed the Bluebirds to keep three consecutive clean sheets, but he believes there is still plenty of room for improvement from his players.

They haven’t quite gone away from his possession-based neat passing style, but they have been prepared to go direct, with striker Jacob Blyth providing more of a focal point.

He said: “I still think we can be better with the football, but I understand why we become a bit nervy because we just wanted to get the results so badly.

“We’ve become hard to beat and solid, we’ve got steel and determination and if we can add the nice bits with the ball to that, then hopefully we’ll put it all together and go on a great run. We know we can be better – that’s the good thing – but it is good to have three clean sheets and be off the back of three good results.”