Barrow's MJ Williams Scores After Two Years in 3-0 Win
MJ Williams had almost forgotten the feeling.
Nearly two years without a goal, a long summer of change, five games without a win – and then, against Sutton United, the Barrow captain finally arrived in the box at the right time. One touch, one finish, and suddenly a season that had started in a fog snapped into focus.
His opener set Barrow on their way to a 3-0 victory, the first under new boss Adam Murray and the first of the campaign at the sixth attempt. For a club still nursing the bruises of relegation from League Two, it felt like more than just three points. It felt like a reset.
“It was a bit of a shock really but I think I’ve been due one,” Williams told BBC Radio Cumbria, still sounding half-amused, half-relieved.
He has never been a prolific scorer, more often the one breaking up play than finishing it, but the 30-year-old knows the modern midfielder has to bring more.
“It is something I have always wanted to do is add goals but sometimes I don’t find myself in the right positions,” he admitted. That, he says, is changing.
Barrow have been drilling set-pieces relentlessly under Murray, and Williams is starting to appear where it matters.
“We work a lot on set-pieces, so I am finding myself in better positions now. It is a massive part of our game and I want to add more goals to my game and hopefully I can this season.”
The goal was the spark. The final whistle was the release.
After months of frustration, the players walked towards the home support with something to offer other than apologies. There were smiles, fist pumps, that familiar roar that had been missing for too long.
“It has been tough for the fans, I’ve never wanted it to be like that, obviously going on from last season,” Williams said. “They have been through some tough times, as the club has, and to have that moment with them at the end of the game was massive.”
That connection has been a theme of Murray’s short reign. The new manager has talked constantly about unity – not as a slogan, but as a requirement.
“Since the gaffer has come in, he has spoken about wanting to be all together and have that connection with the fans, and I think in some of our performances we have deserved more from games,” Williams added.
The results did not come early, but the captain felt the performances were close. Against Sutton, the scoreline finally matched the effort.
“To get that 3-0 win and have the scenes at the end was brilliant for all of us.”
There is no time to bask in it. Barrow now face a long, draining trip to Worthing and a test of whether that win was a turning point or just a brief high.
“We all know it is a long journey but it is a massive game for us,” Williams said. No complaints, no caveats. “It will be a big week for us, we need to go there and put on a good performance. There are no excuses in this game, we will get down there, prepare right and go there with confidence after that first win we have had.”
The mood has changed. The training ground feels lighter, the conversations sharper. The small but crucial difference of waking up on a Sunday with three points in the bag has been felt across the squad.
“The feeling around the team has been brilliant this week,” Williams said. “When you are not winning it is tough but to wake up on a Sunday knowing you have won on a Saturday is a bit of a relief. Last season we didn’t have many of those feelings and it is not nice in football to be coming in when you are not winning.”
Relief, though, is only a starting point. Barrow know one result does not erase a relegation or rewrite a season on its own.
“This week has been brilliant for all of us,” Williams said, before quickly snapping back into captain’s mode, “but it is important now that we get back on it on Saturday and get a massive three points.”
He has his first goal in almost two years. Barrow have their first win of the season. Now comes the real question: can they turn one cathartic afternoon into a new standard?
