Barrow struck seven goals in their opening pre-season friendly to run out comfortable winners over Holker Old Boys at Rakesmoor Lane on Saturday afternoon.
The Bluebirds were in irresistible form from the first whistle and Offrande Zanzala inspired a dominant start to the game which saw Mark Cooper’s men four goals up within half an hour.
Ollie Banks scored the first one, blasting home emphatically from the penalty spot after Matty Platt had been felled inside the area.
Zanzala then took centre stage, first drawing a save from the keeper from which Josh Gordon nodded the rebound against the crossbar, and then firing a low shot off the base of the post after a powerful run down the left.
However, Zanzala wasn’t to be denied and when he got in behind the home defence on 23 minutes, he cleverly jinked past the keeper and slotted home Barrow’s second goal.
Patrick Brough then got forward well down the left and fed a low ball into Zanzala’s feet, who laid it off to Josh Kay on the edge of the area and he applied a clinical low finish into the bottom corner for 3-0.
Zanzala nodded home the fourth goal on 28 minutes when he got on the end of a precise delivery from the right before Tom Beadling grabbed a fifth just before the break after some great build-up play between Kay and Remeao Hutton.
Cooper made seven changes during the half time break and his side extended their lead to 6-0 on 48 minutes when substitute Dimitri Sea was well placed to convert after Gordon’s shot had been blocked.
The home side pulled a goal back in sensational fashion on 78 minutes. Nothing seemed to be on when Jamie Hodgson collected the ball on the halfway line but the Old Boys star saw keeper Josh Lillis off his line and sent a precise long-range effort over him and into the net.
Sea had the final word for The Bluebirds three minutes from time when he got on the end of a wicked delivery in from the right to make it 7-1.
Full Time: Holker Old Boys 1 Barrow 7
Barrow First Half: Farman, Brough, Platt, Ellis, Ntlhe, Hutton, Banks, Beadling, Zanzala (James 34), Kay, Gordon.
Barrow Second Half: Lillis, Brown, Platt, Grayson, Taylor, White, Kay, Devitt, Sea, Gordon, James.