FORMER Barrow favourite Scott Quigley sent Pete Wild’s side crashing to a worrying fifth straight defeat.

Wild had labelled the Bluebirds’ recent run of poor results as a “bump in the road”.

But the Cumbrian club slumped to a fifth successive loss for the first time since 2018.

Liam Kelly’s stunning strike and Quigley’s poacher’s finish either side of half time did the damage at Spotland.

Skipper Niall Canavan ended the club’s arduous 400-minute wait for a league goal at the end, but it proved too little too late for Barrow.

Defeat means the Bluebirds have failed to win at Rochdale for 55 years. But most alarmingly for the visitors is the fact they have gone a month without a point as their impressive early-season form has well and truly deserted them.

Wild made a trio of changes for the trip after last weekend’s defeat to Mansfield Town in a desperate bid to get back on track.

Sam McClelland, Billy Waters and Josh Kay were ushered into the startling line-up as George Ray and David Mojo dropped to the bench, while Robbie Gotts was rested.

The first chance of the game fell to the recalled Waters as his sliding effort went just wide of the mark.

Ex-Bluebird Quigley, who scored 35 goals in 78 appearances for the club, came close to haunting the visitors. Quigley, on loan from Stockport County, sent Spotland crazy as his header hit the side netting.

But the hosts took the lead shortly after as Kelly fired them in front in the 18th minute.

The Irishman bagged his first goal since March as his fine curling strike left Paul Farman stranded.

Shot-stopper Farman was quickly called into action to deny the hosts a second as he produced a smart stop to keep out dangerous Quigley.

Top scorer Josh Gordon squandered a great chance to level when he headed over the bar from six yards out.

Farman ensured Barrow were just one behind at the interval with a great save to deny Kelly his second of the afternoon.

The Bluebirds flew out of the blocks in the second period as they went searching for an equaliser.

Ben Whitfield headed a Patrick Brough cross agonisingly wide as another chance went begging moments after the restart.

And Harrison Neal tamely nodded at Dale stopper Richard O’Donnell.

On-song Farman was at it again as he outfoxed Devante Rodney one-on-one just after the hour mark.

And Brough was expertly in the right place at the right time to clear Sam Graham’s back-post header off the line after he was found by Kelly’s dangerous free-kick.

But the pressure told as Quigley slid in to poke Rodney’s delightful delivery home at the back post with 15 minutes to go.

Captain Canavan gave the visitors a glimmer of hope with his 89th-minute header, after getting on the end of Whitfield’s cross.

But Dale held firm as they lifted themselves out of the dreaded drop zone.