Forest Green Rovers will face a Barrow side in formidable form when they travel to Cumbria later this month. The Bluebirds extended their winning run to five games with a 2-0 victory over Tamworth, a result that lifts them to eighth in the National League table.

Rekeem Harper broke the deadlock with a penalty early in the second half, his fifth goal in as many games, before Corey Edwards doubled the lead on the hour mark. The win continues a remarkable turnaround for Barrow, who have climbed from the relegation zone to within two points of the play-offs after being relegated from League Two last season.

Murray's blunt assessment

Despite the result, Barrow manager Adam Murray was scathing about the first-half display. "I’d go as far as saying it was one of the worst games of football I’ve ever been involved in," he said, citing difficult wind and pitch conditions. He felt his side were pinned in and made poor decisions before the interval. "We asked for more quality at half-time and we got that in moments and that’s where the goals came from."

Murray has previously spoken about needing time to implement his style after what he called a post-relegation hangover. He saw a positive reaction after some harsh half-time words, with his team calming the game down after the break. The 26-year-old Harper, who has captained the side in the last three matches, converted the key penalty to maintain his hot streak, having managed only two goals in 35 games last term.

New face makes debut

New signing Adam Alimi-Adetoro, who officially joined the club on Friday, came off the bench for the final ten minutes. Murray praised the defender's experience, saying he addresses a need to add to the back line and is a really good signing for the club.

The result sets up a challenging next assignment for Forest Green. Steve Cotterill's side, currently 16th with 15 points from 12 games, have won none of their last five, a run that includes a 4-2 home defeat to Hartlepool United. They will need to improve their recent form, when they visit Holker Street on Saturday 24 October. Barrow's current momentum, with Harper in such decisive form, presents a significant hurdle in Forest Green's search for a first victory in six matches.

The report in full is at Nwemail.co.uk