Barrow AFC 7 FC United of Manchester 0

Barrow AFC's two FA Trophy triumphs have been the glittering highlights of the club's non-League era, which will span 48 years by the end of the current campaign.

It would be harsh to describe their present run in the competition as a sideshow, but getting to Wembley is nowhere near to being the extent of their ambitions this season.

Nonetheless, it has fitted in to what has been a stunning start to 2020 for the Bluebirds, who obliterated FC United of Manchester in the second round to make it seven goals on a Saturday afternoon for the second week running.

The season has often had us reaching for the record books, and this was no exception, as not since March 1913, when AFC defeated Heywood United (7-2) and Denton (10-0), have they scored seven or more goals in two games that occurred within a week of each other.

One week on from overseeing Barrow's biggest league win since 1995, manager Ian Evatt fielded near enough his strongest team to face FC United, whose form in the Northern Premier League had been impressive in itself.

The visitors came to Holker Street unbeaten in 15 games, having won the last eight of those, and undefeated on their travels since the opening day of the season. However, they admitted after the final whistle that they had never come up against quality like this before, as the Bluebirds inflicted on them the heaviest defeat in their 15-year history.

It was refreshing to see a visiting team show attacking ambition of their own, rather than just bank up and try to hit AFC on the counter, as has been the case at most home games this season.

They had something of a 'Sliding Doors' moment when Tunde Owolabi, scorer of 26 goals in 28 games, was denied by Joel Dixon when clean through and with the game goalless. The big problem was that their open approach played right into the rampant hosts' hands, as they made mincemeat of a defence that played a surprisingly high line.

Wing-backs Brad Barry and Josh Kay had a field day and it was they who put Barrow in control of the tie when Barry slid through Cameron Belford's legs after being set up by Scott Quigley, before his cross was bundled in by Kay.

Just as against Ebbsfleet the previous week, it was 3-0 before half-time when Quigley gave John Rooney his simplest goal of the midfielder's prolific season.

Rooney moved alongside Quigley as top scorer, on 17 for the campaign, when he nonchalantly chipped home a penalty after Kay had been tripped.

Byron Harrison, making a rare start in AFC's 'gun team' claims he is the scorer of their fifth by shouldering in Patrick Brough's cross, but officially it has gone down as an own goal against Chris Doyle.

The FC United defender was then sent off for handling Olly Dyson's goal-bound effort, but Harrison's penalty was kept out by Belford. The Bluebirds were ruthless to the last again, though, as Dior Angus forced Aaron Morris to slide the ball into his own net before he completed this latest rout with one for himself.

Barrow AFC (3-4-1-2): Dixon, Hird, Platt, Brough, Barry, Taylor, White (Hardcastle 70), Kay, Rooney (Dyson 64), Harrison, Quigley (Angus 64).

Subs not used: Brown, Hindle, Penfold, Hodgson.

FC United of Manchester (4-4-1-1): Belford, Morris, Doyle, Jones, Dodd, Ennis (Donohue 45), Griffths, Potts (Lenehan 56), Linney, Curran (Sinclair-Smith 69), Owolabi.

Subs not used: Walker, Lacy, Kerr, Hawley.

Referee: Gareth Rhodes

Attendance: 1,892

Bluebirds star man: Brad Barry