BARROW AFC manager Pete Wild said he is 'pleased' with the 'intensity' that his side showed as they defeated Holker Old Boys 8-1 at Rakesmoor Lane.

Bluebirds' new boy Dean Campbell recorded a first hat trick for Wild's side as Barrow ran riot in the local showdown. 

Jamie Proctor, another one of the Bluebirds' summer recruits, was also on the scoresheet smashing in a scissor kick with Ged Garner, Tom White, and Ben Whitfield also finding the back of the net.

After the game Wild reflected on his side's successes but also praised his side's opponents for their commitment to the match despite the goal glut from the Bluebirds.

Speaking to BBC Radio Cumbria's Adam Johnson, he said: "There is a lot of local Barrow lads that want to come and show that they should be in professional football and I said that to the players at the start of the game.

"They want to prove a point as to why they should be at the level we are at so I thought they acquitted themselves well.

"I think the biggest thing you can say to them is to never give up and I think you saw that in abundance and that is what we want; a proper football match, we don't want it to turn into a charity match or a friendly and I think both sides took the game seriously for 90 minutes."

Wild also detailed how he saw his side translate training groundwork into match-winning moments but challenged the Bluebirds to continue improving ahead of their clash with Championship side Preston on Saturday, July 15 at the SO Legal Stadium.

He said: "The biggest thing I was pleased with tonight was the intensity of our work.

"When the scoreline does get away from the opposition you can sometimes get people doing things that are unrealistic to the way we play and they didn't and both teams did it professionally and they started to attack their areas and get those wide overloads that we have been talking about in training and started to move the ball with a really good tempo.

"That is really pleasing coming out of this evening because the first two friendlies are there to try and get pictures and shapes across to the new players but we all know now that there are stronger tests to come."