Barrow Captain MJ Williams Ends Goal Drought with 3-0 Victory
MJ Williams wants more of that feeling. The roar, the release, the sight of Barrow fans finally celebrating again.
The captain ended a near two-year wait for a goal last weekend, sweeping in the opener in a 3-0 win over Sutton United that delivered new boss Adam Murray his first victory since taking charge in the summer. It was Barrow’s first league win of the season, at the sixth attempt, and a rare burst of joy after the pain of relegation from League Two.
For Williams, it felt overdue.
“It was a bit of a shock really but I think I’ve been due one,” he told BBC Radio Cumbria, admitting that goals have long been a missing piece in his game. He has never been the midfielder crashing into the box every week, and he knows it. “It is something I have always wanted to do is add goals but sometimes I don’t find myself in the right positions.”
That, he says, is changing.
Barrow have been drilling set-pieces hard under Murray, and Williams is now arriving in areas where chances fall, not just sweeping up behind the play. “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 against Sutton did more than nudge a personal tally. It cracked open a heavy atmosphere that had hung over the club since the drop. The final whistle brought a release that felt as much about last season as this one.
“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.”
Murray has made that bond a priority. The new manager has talked repeatedly about unity, about knitting together a bruised dressing room and a fanbase that has had little to cheer. Williams believes the performances so far have deserved more than a solitary win, which is why that 3-0 scoreline – and the scenes that followed – felt so significant.
“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. To get that 3-0 win and have the scenes at the end was brilliant for all of us.”
Now comes the test: turning one cathartic afternoon into a platform.
Barrow face a long trip to Worthing this weekend, a journey that can drain legs and minds if the focus slips. Williams is adamant that cannot happen at Woodside Road.
“We all know it is a long journey but it is a massive game for us,” he said. “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 shifted. Winning does that. Training feels lighter, the dressing room less tense, the doubts a little quieter.
“The feeling around the team has been brilliant this week,” Williams admitted. “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.”
The challenge now is to treat Sutton as a starting point, not an escape.
“This week has been brilliant for all of us but it is important now that we get back on it on Saturday and get a massive three points.”
Williams has his first goal in almost two years. Murray has his first win. The fans have a glimpse of something better. The question now is whether Barrow can turn one good day into a new habit.
