Not for the first time this season, Barrow AFC manager Ian Evatt was pleased missed chances didn’t prove costly during their 1-0 victory against Aldershot Town at Holker Street.

While the Bluebirds have become prolific on their travels recently, on their own turf they’ve been surprisingly profligate and have kept visiting teams in games that should have been killed off.

In fairness, that is the only complaint that can be made against them, as they deservedly maintained their relentless run of form at the top of the National League.

They had to overcome some typically windy Barrow weather in picking up their 13th win in 15 league games against the Shots, who their rise to the division’s summit started against three months ago.

Evatt, who served a touchline ban for the game, said: “It’s a great result in the conditions. It’s difficult to play the way we want to play in conditions like that.

“I’m pleased with the way they dug in, not so pleased with the amount of chances we’re missing.

“That game should have been dead and buried, it should have been three, four or five and Joel [Dixon] makes a great save with the one save he had to make at the other end, but that’s what he’s there for.

“It’s an excellent three points – there’s a lot to work on still and we’re still a work in progress.”

While Evatt was frustrated by his attackers being wasteful, he was more satisfied by AFC’s tenth clean sheet of the season, which is the joint-most in the division.

He said: “Sometimes when we concede goals, the back three and the goalkeeper get criticised, but when you’re missing chance after chance after chance you have to applaud the back three for keeping clean sheets because that’s what’s won us the game today.”