IAN Evatt is hoping to give Barrow AFC’s fans something to cheer about this afternoon, as his side look to find that winning feeling again at home to Maidstone United.

The long distances the Bluebirds often have to travel in the National League precludes many of their supporters from making the journey down.

Those who were able to make the 600-mile trips to Aldershot and Braintree in the last two weeks were rewarded by their team earning deserved 2-0 victories which have breathed new life into their season.

The match in Essex last week was played on a heavy pitch, with the comparatively smooth surface at Holker Street more conducive to Evatt’s preferred passing style.

“The pitch has been excellent at Holker Street, the groundsman has done a great job,” Evatt said.

“Obviously, we are in the hands of the weather gods, so we don’t really know how it’s going to be, whether the wind is going to be blowing or whatever else.

“All we can concentrate on is ourselves and I think now we can adapt and play two different styles – maybe the 4-3-3, which is attacking and expansive, or the 3-5-2, which gives us a bit more solidity, but we can also play out of that system.

“It’s important that we get back to winning ways at home and give the crowd something to cheer about.”

Barrow haven’t won at home in just over two months and haven’t given their supporters a goal to cheer in any of the three games at Holker Street since their last victory there, against Sutton United.

They’ll be up against a Maidstone side desperate to haul themselves out of the relegation zone and one looking to complete a league double over the Bluebirds this season.

Not so long ago, AFC were starting to look over their shoulders nervously themselves, but their recent revival has lifted them to 12th and allowed them to look up the table instead.

Captain Josh Granite said: “It’s not a nice place when you’re looking over your shoulder and we know that we shouldn’t be – we should probably have 10 or 12 points more than we have at the minute.

“That’s in terms of being unlucky or not finishing games off where we’ve had the chance, so even though we have been down there I don’t feel like we are a bottom-six, bottom-eight side.

“But the table doesn’t lie and we needed to get some results, which we have done this week, and now it’s time to kick on over the Christmas period and keep climbing that table.”