When Barrow AFC travelled to face Maidstone United at the Gallagher Stadium in August, they will have been unaware their hosts were coming towards the end of an area.

The Stones won 1-0 on the day, thanks to Shamir Mullings’ early strike, but the three points weren’t enough to save manager Jay Saunders, who departed ten days later following seven years in charge.

He was replaced by Harry Wheeler, who around the same time as Saunders’ exit had become a victim of the circus at Billericay Town, where he was allegedly sacked by owner Glenn Tamplin via text message.

But the fact that that win over the Bluebirds remains their only home league victory this season tells you that there has been no ‘new manager bounce’.

This is a return to National League action for the Stones after their brave showing in a 2-0 defeat against Oldham Athletic in the second round of the FA Cup last week.

Their situation is perilous, as Wheeler’s side are third-from-bottom in the table and two points adrift of safety, having only won once in their last nine fixtures, of which they’ve lost six.

While Barrow boss Ian Evatt is trying to recover the passing style that characterised his team earlier in the campaign, it appears Wheeler is prepared to go long at Holker Street tomorrow.

Wheeler told Kent Online: “We had four chances second half [against Oldham], three from hooking the ball on, one from a diagonal ball from our own half.

“They didn’t come from little tiki-taka passing.

“The games we’ve won we’ve been very direct and it’s something we might have to do again to go and get results.”

Maidstone have managed to win four times on their travels this season (more than the teams around them) and they were successful the last time they visited Holker Street, when Joe Pigott’s penalty gave them a 1-0 victory on the Bluebirds’ home turf last September.