It had been seven years since Barrow AFC had failed to earn re-election with the Football League, the decision to create a speedway track around Holker Street coming back to bit them.

They had to wait until 1979 to play in a league that would involve them travelling to clubs around the country again, as they benefitted from the formation of the Alliance Premier League.

The Bluebirds were one of the 20 founder members drawn from the Northern Premier League and Southern League that formed a new fifth tier of English football that grew into the Conference and is now known as the National League.

On Saturday, August 18, their first opponents in the new division was Yeovil Town, one of the most famous non-League clubs in the country, due to their heroics in repeatedly dumping more exulted teams out of the FA Cup down the years.

There was considerable excitement around Holker Street, although the home crowd will have been wary of AFC’s previous encounter with the Glovers, which had ended in a 5-0 hammering in the FA Trophy the previous February.

Chairman Bill McCullough wrote in the matchday programme: “We at Barrow, along with the other 19 members of the Alliance League, are classed as the best non-League football [clubs] in the country.

“Having achieved this league, we intend to do everything in our power to stay there and so justify our inclusion and hope that we can give the Barrow town a team to be proud of.”

Barrow had finished 16th in the Northern Premier League the previous season under manager Brian McManus, who had stepped away from playing during the summer.

He added in his programme notes: “The satisfying thing has been the way the new players have bedded in.

“It is hoped that we do not get in such a backlog of fixtures as we have done in previous seasons due to bad weather and many cup replays.”

The Bluebirds fielded five summer signings in their line-up, including defender Neil McDonald, who had returned for his second spell at the club from Workington Reds just three days previously.

There was no place, however, for winger Alan Cook, who had failed to report back in time from a spell playing in New Zealand. Thankfully, his absence wasn’t sorely felt.

In the words of The Mail reporter Mike Young, ‘revenge was sweet,’ as Yeovil were vanquished 2-0 in front of 2,027 at Holker Street.

Barrow went ahead after 36 minutes when Colin ‘God’ Cowperthwaite, in the foothills of what eventually became a legendary career with the Bluebirds, sent a terrific diving header into the top corner.

Cowperthwaite, who scored 282 in 704 appearances for his one and only semi-professional club, then added a second before half-time with a tap-in after some great work down the wing by Mick Worswick.

AFC had further chances to score through Worswick and Barry Diamond, while Cowperthwaite came close to completing his hat-tick in the second half.

But while it was a positive day on the pitch, the club found themselves in hot water with the FA for an incident off it, as two empty beer cans were thrown from the Holker Street End into the goalmouth of Yeovil goalkeeper Brian Parker.

It also wasn’t a sign of great things to come for McManus, who was sacked just three months later after a 3-1 defeat at home to Altrincham marked AFC’s fifth loss in six league games. Barrow eventually finished their first-ever campaign in the Alliance Premier League in 14th place under his successor Mick Taylor.

Four decades on, they’ll be hoping for a similar outcome from the Glovers’ visit this evening.