Just how much influence his presence on the touchline, alongside interim manager Neill Hornby, had we will never know, but he admitted to being involved in some of the “tweaking.”
It worked wonders, particularly for Adi Yussuf whose poaching powers saw him notch a richly-deserved hat-trick as the Bluebirds ended a run of ten National League games without a victory.
What a great win it was. The only pity was that the three points didn’t lift the team out of the dreaded relegation zone. But on this form that shouldn’t take long.
The two changes to the Barrow line-up saw Stuart Moore back in goal in place of Joel Dixon while Jordon Thompson was a starter after illness limited him to a 90th-minute substitute’s appearance in the game at Chester.
The Bluebirds knew they had to make a flying start and the Shots just didn’t know what hit them.
Only five minutes in Chris Clements, who was so influential in midfield, laid the ball off, took the return and then fed Byron Harrison.
The striker played it through to Yussuf and he provided the finishing touch.
Next raid and Harrison was away down the left and he had Yussuf lurking in the middle.
Harrison tried to dribble along the by-line but he was downed inside the box.
Penalty? No, the referee gave Aldershot the free-kick . . . and well over 60 seconds after the incident he seemed to get a message from his linesman and Harrison got a yellow card, presumably for diving.
Very strange. But that was only the start of some strange decisions by Mr Simon Lucas who was refereeing only his seventh game at National League level.
The Shots still had not been a threat when on 15 minutes Harrison gave Yussuf a one-on-one chance with the keeper but the ball was turned away well for a corner.
On 20 minutes Liam Hughes, a pillar in his new defensive role, was bundled into the Barrow dugout. How come that didn’t warrant a yellow card? At least the Barrow free-kick brought a cheer as it was their first while the Shots had already been awarded half a dozen.
At last we saw something from the visitors in the 34th minute as Bernard Mensah got away down the left but Hughes headed away for a corner.
Six minutes before the break it was 2-0. Keeper Moore booted a free-kick upfield, Yussuf let it run, deceived his marker and got clear to fire it home.
Sixty seconds into the second half Barrow were penalised when players tried to kick the ball away as a visitor had it trapped between his legs as he sat on the ground. Jake Gallagher sent the ball left, Adam McDonnell crossed and despite the efforts of players on both sides it appeared no-one got a touch as the ball found its way into the net.
That was the lift the visitors needed and Barrow had to show their stubborn defensive skills.
But they were up to the task.
Keeper Moore set up Barrow’s third. His long kick saw Yussuf brush off challenger Reynolds and then the Barrow striker realised that the visiting keeper was well off his line so from some 30 yards his shot bounced its way into the net for his hat-trick.
A great win and something to build on.
But just how Barrow managed to pick up four yellow cards and Aldershot two was something of a mystery.
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