TEN-MAN Barrow slipped to a devastating 4-2 defeat away at Crawley.

Summer signing Max Watters bagged his first professional hat-trick to secure the points for the hosts.

Tom Nichols also got on the scoresheet with a penalty as Josh Kay scored one and set up another for Sam Hird in vain.

The Bluebirds have worryingly lost four league games on the spin and only sit above the dreaded drop zone back to non-league football on goal difference.

Struggling Barrow haven’t won in the league since the end of October when they secured back-to-back victories against Mansfield and Bradford.

David Dunn made a couple of changes to the side which lost at home to Salford last time out.

Centre-back Hird and midfielder Jason Taylor returned to the starting line-up.

The Bluebirds started brightly at Broadfield but didn’t make the most of their ascendency.

Kay missed the mark before striker Scott Quigley’s tame effort was easily kept out by Glenn Morris.

And the hosts made Dunn’s charges pay in the 23rd minute.

Sam Matthews slid Watters in behind to fire home the opener.

Jayden Reid fluffed his lines after being picked out by Kay’s cross.

Barrow were gifted a strange penalty as Connor Brown went down in the box after an advantage for being fouled outside the box.

Morris did superbly to keep out Kay’s spot kick, before smashing home the rebound in the 33rd minutes.

The Bluebirds were let off at Watters’ effort went past the post.

Down the other end Matt Platt nodded wide as the visitors came close to sneaking ahead before the break.

Dunn’s team-talk saw Barrow burst of the blocks with Kay’s effort somehow tipped wide by shot-stopper Morris.

But the pressure told in the 49th minute as Kay turned provider for the returning Hird to head home.

Going behind sprung the hosts into life as they upped the ante.

And they were soon level as Watters doubled his and the team’s tally after Tom Nichols’ header hit the bar.

Things went from bad to worse for the Bluebirds as Brown was sent off for a sending booking to leave them with ten men for the last 22 minutes.

Quigley was frustrated by Morris as he tipped his drive over the bar with 15 minutes left.

And Hird’s header from the resultant corner crashed into the side netting.

With ten minutes left the hosts got a penalty of their own when Platt fouled Ashley Nadesan.

And it was cruelly converted as Nichols fired home from 12 yards.

Watters completed a fine hat-trick in stoppage time to put the game beyond doubt.