BARROW 0

ASTON VILLA 6

Barrow’s dream of a Carabao Cup giant-killing act was wrecked by a team of young Goliaths with more than a touch of Premier class.

A total of 5,349 packed into the Dunes Hotel Stadium hoping this first competitive meeting against Dean Smith’s Villa aristocrats might become one of AFC’s most memorable occasions.

Within 10 minutes, however, the possible fairytale was heading for a grim ending as Cameron Archer, who finished the game with a hat-trick, scored a first senior goal.

By half time, Anwar El Ghazi had added two more and the gulf in status between the League Two’s 16th-placed side and a team 10th in the Premier League was only too evident.

Dutch ace El Ghazi assisted for Archer’s second goal after 62 minutes as he had done for his team mate’s opener before being withdrawn from the action with job done.

Mark Cooper’s underdogs had their moments – notably a first- half Ozzy Zanzala header and a shot from Ollie Banks at the start of the second.

But they were few and far between as the five-time competition winners strolled into round three.

Barrow’s consolation is an estimated £200,000 pay day some of which manager Cooper surely hopes come his way to help his team stabilise and then progress in the game’s fourth tier.

Sadly for Dimitri Sea, whose spectacular overhead winner against Scunthorpe set-up Barrow’s sold out clash, couldn’t play against a team where he was an Academy prospect, due to concussion protocols.

Playing in round two for the first time since 1972, Barrow made only one change from the side beaten 2-1 at Harrogate last Saturday.

Josh Kay dropped to the bench with Jason Taylor taking his place for Barrow’s first game against top flight opposition since a 3-0 FA Cup third round defeat to Sunderland in 2010.

Villa’s youthful line-up, captained by Conor Hourihane, bore little resemble to the one that started against Newcastle in the Premier League with manager Smith making 10 changes.

A Banks’ curling free kick cried out for the faintest of deflections and raised early optimism.

Instead, Villa’s reprieve quickly materialised into the opening goal.

Hourihane’s angled pass did the initial damage, beneficiary El Ghazi immediately crossed into the area where unmarked Archer fired home from six yards.

Barrow’s first corner provoked fervent expectation. Instead, Villa cleared and soon went upfield and doubled their lead.

Referee Martin Coy adjudged Josh Gordon’s tackle on Philogene-Bidace an illegal one and El Ghazi, a scorer against Newcastle last weekend, converted the coolest Panenka penalty imaginable.

Barrow’s own claims for a spot kick when Zanzala was sent sprawling by Axel Tuanzebe and Kortney Hause were waved aside.

Even without their established frontline stars Villa were too powerful and skilful for their hosts.

Zanzala, however, kept a greenhorn defence on alert, rising highest to head Remeao Hutton’s cross fractionally over.

But the gulf in class was underlined in the second minute of first half stoppage time.

Hourihane conjured up another peach of a pass, Frederic Guilbert delivered a first time cross from the Barrow left and El Ghazi finished expertly on the run at the far post.

Barrow’s best moment came at the start of the second period as Banks’ low 18-yard shot saw Steer at full stretch.

A comeback was never likely, however, and Villa’s superiority was rammed home by Archer’s second and third goals with a strike from Frederic Guilbert sandwiched in between.