Maidenhead United 0 Barrow AFC 4

There has long been a feeling that, one day, an opponent was really going to cop it at the hands of Barrow AFC and that day finally arrived at York Road, where Ian Evatt’s National League leaders took Maidenhead United apart.

It’s not often when a team wins by this scoreline away from home that one of the first thoughts was still ‘it should have been more,’ but that was how dominant the Bluebirds were in Berkshire.

Save for that frustrating home draw against Chorley four days previously, November could not have gone any better for them and they saved the best until last.

On the basis of what we’ve seen from AFC since they claimed top spot in English football’s fifth tier, they are going to take some shifting from their perch.

With the teams below them (barring Solihull) tripping over themselves, Barrow enter the final month of 2019 three points clear with a game in hand of second-placed Bromley and their fans made another long journey back to Cumbria wondering just how good this could get.

After stumbling, if not slipping, on the banana skin that was Chorley in midweek, the feeling was that Maidenhead would be another tricky opponent, despite their lowly position in the table.

Instead, the Magpies barely laid a glove on their visitors, whose front pairing of Scott Quigley and Dior Angus showed why they’re becoming one of the most feared combinations in the division.

Since the switch to two up top and three at the back, the link-up play between the two has gotten better and better and it was marked out here by them providing goals for each other.

It took 12 minutes for the first instance, as Angus controlled a loose ball before speeding into the penalty area and laying it across for Quigley to score his 13th goal of the season, and his first in five games.

Gone were the frustrations of Tuesday night for Quigley, who bullied Maidenhead’s defence as well as showing he can be a creator of chances as well as a taker of them.

Angus’ pace, meanwhile, was running the hosts ragged, although it did take a while for him to find the finishing touch.

Magpies goalkeeper Chris Dunn does deserve credit for keeping his side involved in the contest for as long as he did, as he made saves from Josh Kay, Quigley and Brad Barry during the first half.

Angus, though, will feel he really should have made more of the clear-cut chances he had either side of half-time, from which he hit Dunn rather than the back of the net.

All this was forgotten, however, when Quigley returned the favour by beating Alan Massey all ends up down the right before his low ball put it on a plate for Angus to finally give the Bluebirds some breathing space.

From this point, AFC were pleasingly ruthless, with Patrick Brough forcing in his first goal for the club to make the result safe, before Olly Dyson’s late finish made this Evatt’s biggest win as a manager.

Based on this performance, Barrow can expect the backing of another big crowd next week when they return to Holker Street to face the same team they turned their season against, Aldershot Town.

Maidenhead United (4-3-2-1): Dunn, Clerima, Davies, Massey, Steer, Sheckleford, Upward, Smile, Akintunde (Whitehall 45), Kelly (Mensah 84), Cassidy.

Subs not used: Grant, Sekajja.

Barrow AFC (3-4-1-2): Dixon, Hird, Platt, Brough, Barry, Rooney, White (Dyson 79), Kay, Hardcastle (Taylor 68), Angus (Harrison 79), Quigley.

Subs not used: Brown, Hindle.

Attendance: 1,239

Referee: Richard Hulme

Bluebirds star man: Scott Quigley