BLUEBIRDS BACK IN BUSINESS BUT MAGPIES MISFIRE

BARROW finally got the rub of the green to end a run of five games without victory while also checking Maidenhead’s good form of late.

Goals in each half from John Rooney and Tyler Smith secured the points for the Bluebirds against a below-par Magpies side who only had Josh Kelly’s late shot against the crossbar to show for their efforts.

“We are a very good football team, played some excellent stuff and deserved the win,” said delighted home boss Ian Evatt.

“The second half was more workmanlike than the first but I am really pleased for the lads because the last four games have been tough. Now we have got exactly what we desered.

“We will never dominate all the 90 minutes. There are no mugs in this league, every game is a physical battle and my lads have stood up to it.

“In the first half we took over the game and could have been two or three up at half-time.

“In the second half we had to dig in but I am super proud of them.”

Maidenhead started the brighter and while Barrow could only fire in tame shots, Remy Clerima was inches off giving the visitors he lead with an effort that went just over the bar.

But the home side took the lead in the 25th minute from a move down the left. Luke Burgess had a choice of three players to feed and passed right into the path of Rooney for a simple tap-in.

Rooney almost had a second

when a free-kick from near the corner flag struck the crossbar to safety.

Maidenhead, though, were always in the contest with Adrian Clifton firing an effort inches over, while Ryan Upward twice went close, first after misconnecting inside the box, then with a blocked shot in a crowded goalmouth.

The game was settled, though, in the 74th minute when Rhys Norrington-Davies produced a great ball for Smith to smash home. “Very disappointed,” was the verdict of Maidenhead assistant manager Sam Lock. “We didn’t start very well, then we dominated the second half and at 1-0 down we pressed and pressed and huffed and puffed but Barrow put bodies on the line and we didn’t take the chances. “We tried everything. We had a lot of forward players on the bench, used them and and couldn’t do anything more than we did.

“We were certainly not at our best today.”