Fixtures fly past in a blur at this time of year, as the National League roars into action, getting as many games in while the lighter months are with us.

This week began poorly but ultimately ended positively.

As far as last Tuesday against Harrogate is concerned, least said soonest mended. We shipped goals from crosses and failed to put any of our chances away.

When you do that, you lose the game. Although 3-0 somewhat flattered Harrogate, they certainly deserved to win in front of what was an excellent home crowd of around 1,600.

Any seasoned watcher of this division will tell you it’s about keeping the faith and getting back to basics if results don’t go your way and that’s what we did.

In the past, when we’ve looked vulnerable, we resorted to three at the back to steady ourselves and give the team a solid platform.

Therefore, on Saturday, we certainly looked more compact and played some decent football in places. You need luck in football too and the goalkeeping howler that presented us with the second was celebrated with joy and no little relief.

Scot Quigley, as well as providing a presence and getting a goal, was mobile and linked play really well. Josh Kay had his second excellent game of the week and was once again voted Man of the Match.

I felt one of the highlights was the way Olly Dyson came off the bench to stake a claim. One pass in particular was sublime but he also had pace and no little aggression was on show. Fans will be looking forward to seeing more of this prospect.

One slightly disappointing factor, amid the celebrations surrounding our first win, was the difference in crowds from Tuesday to Saturday of nearly 600.

Neither away side brought many fans, so much of this was local. Certainly, the Holker Street hurricane’s appearance accounted for a few hundred and the horizontal rain made some opt for the couch.

Understandable; but hopefully signs of winning will bring everyone back, to better weather and a later kick-off next Saturday, with the visit of both the BT Sport TV cameras and Yeovil Town.

Before this, we have another assignment; reacquainting ourselves with newly promoted Stockport County tonight.

We are again travelling in numbers, including two full buses. Hopefully we can secure a win on the road, ready to show what we can do in front of a national audience.

*Never mind The Ashes, this is serious! Cricketing devotees may need to avert their eyes from Furness Cricket Club at 6pm on Friday, as the annual clash between Raiders and Barrow AFC fans takes place.

Proceeds from the charity match go to both supporters’ trusts and Mind in Furness.

We are lucky again that both teams' bosses are ready to take part. It’s great that both Bluebirds' manager Ian Evatt and Raiders' head coach Paul Crarey put so much into meeting fans locally.

As usual, the teams will be a tremendous mix of the experienced and the complete novice, which makes for interesting viewing.

The Raiders team will be looking to avenge the last two years and the purchase of a trophy shield suggests they may have a few cricketing aces up their sleeve this time.

In all seriousness though, it’s a bit of fun to get together and raise some money for some worthy causes and is wonderful to see the sporting communities of Barrow coming together for this event.

Furness Cricket Club have again done a great job of bringing all these sports together.

There will be music and food available and a fantastic charity raffle. All are welcome to come along and join in the fun, entry is by donation.

*Football is universal and multicultural. From all corners of the world, it is played and watched by generations, together.

Barrow AFC and Barrow are part of that tradition. We want to celebrate that diversity during National Non- League Day on October 12 this year.

In partnership with Barrow AFC, Barrow AFC Community Trust and Furness Multicultural Forum, we are going to spend Non-League Day celebrating the richness of our area and all the different kinds of families within.

It also gives us a chance to give those who might not always be able to attend Barrow games an opportunity to fall in love with non-League football. With the club, we are hoping to slash the adult prices and will again be working closely with schools to promote this.

It all takes organisation and many Trust members and local businesses will be receiving further information - we hope companies, funding bodies and individuals can support us. We already have over £2,000 committed towards this, which is fantastic.

If you are interested in supporting Non-League Day, don’t hesitate to contact us on info@bluebirdstrust.co.uk if you have any further questions, or ring Barrow AFC on 01229 666010.