Manager Ian Evatt was delighted to see his side find the clinical edge he had been craving during their excellent 3-1 win at promotion-chasing Wrexham on Tuesday night.

The Bluebirds picked up their first victory at the Racecourse Ground since Boxing Day 1953, thanks to what was an exceptional first-half performance that saw them repeatedly carve the Dragons open.

Seeing them create numerous chances wasn’t unusual, but to witness their attackers put them away and open up a 3-0 lead before half-time was a welcome change from the profligacy they’ve previously shown.

It was arguably AFC’s most notable result of the season in the National League, as Wrexham were second in the table going into the game and with high hopes of returning to the Football League after an 11-year absence.

But they were blown away, as goals from Dan Jones, Jacob Blyth and Lewis Hardcastle effectively finished the match as a contest with just 45 minutes played.

Evatt said: “To a man, I thought we were outstanding – our effort, our commitment, I thought our shape suited us really well and, finally, we put our chances away.

“We put some great crosses into the box and I’m delighted for Blythy because it’s a long time coming for him, that goal and I’m really pleased for him.

“The shift he put in tonight was magnificent. I could name a few players today, but I thought, to a man, that all the 11 were outstanding.”

Evatt tweaked his system into a 3-1-4-2 formation that included moving captain Jason Taylor back from his usual midfield role into a back three, alongside Jones and Kyle Jameson.

He also shifted Josh Kay into a wing-back role down the right and it was his superb low cross that led to Blyth doubling Barrow’s lead after 24 minutes with his first goal since December.

Evatt said: “It was always the plan to come to Wrexham and go back to three at the back because I thought it would suit the way we play against them.

“We highlighted their weaknesses with that shape.

“It was the plan, even before the Aldershot game, to go to that shape for this game.

“Rhys Norrington-Davies, I thought welcome back, magnificent. They over-cover and they get really narrow, Wrexham, so the plan was to get the ball wide, get crosses in the box and hopefully finish our chances, and we’ve done that today.”