Crewe rejuvenated their promotion bid as a 3-0 success over Barrow ended a run of six games without a win.

Goals either side of the interval did the trick for the Railwaymen with Connor O’Riordan finishing off after a Jack Powell free-kick was pushed out and Tommy Lowery converting a penalty. Matus Holicek sealed victory with a third in the closing minutes as the Railwaymen stay in touch with the top three.

Adrien Thibaut’s tame effort, which Paul Farman gathered with ease, was the only effort on goal in the opening half an hour.

Then Barrow were denied when Connor Mahoney dribbled clear inside the box to set up Aaron Pressley with a simple finish from six yards, but Jamie Knight-Lebel got back to clear the frontman’s effort off the line.

Crewe burst into life and Holicek went close with a downward header which flew past the bottom corner.

The Cheshire side were ahead in the 37th minute when O’Riordan drove in from close range after Farman parried Powell’s free-kick driven low into the box from the left.

Pressley was thwarted at the other end as Crewe keeper Filip Marschall palmed out the striker’s far-post header.

Crewe doubled their lead five minutes after half-time when Kyle Cameron’s high boot felled Thibaut inside the box as the striker raced onto a through-ball and Lowery sent Farman the wrong way with his spot-kick, the midfielder’s first goal since returning on loan from Portsmouth.

Powell went close with a left-footed drive as Crewe played with greater confidence in the second half and Holicek rounded off the win when firing in off the post with five minutes left after being set up by substitute Calum Agius.