Barrow assistant manager Adam Temple was delighted after they won 4-1 at 10-man Colchester to extend their unbeaten league run to a club-record nine games.

Colchester netted in the 20th minute through Cameron McGeehan, who scored after goalkeeper Paul Farman had spilled Jayden Fevrier’s effort.

Barrow boss Pete Wild was dismissed by referee Declan Bourne just after the half-time whistle, having protested after Robbie Gotts needed to be taken off on a stretcher following a head injury.

But Barrow equalised in the 52nd minute when Colchester defender Will Greenidge put through his own net, after Dom Telford’s effort hit the crossbar.

Fevrier was sent off for a second caution in the 84th minute after a foul on Elliot Newby before George Ray put Barrow ahead two minutes later from close range, after Niall Canavan headed down a Newby corner.

Ray converted a third from close range in the third minute of stoppage time from Kian Spence’s pass before Zach Mitchell diverted Spence’s cross into his own net a minute later.

Temple said: “To win any time is good but to win from behind in the circumstances and the character that the boys showed, it was really good.

“I’m not going to go into what happened at half-time but it was out of order and it caused a reaction on the back of that.

“There was a lot of emotion at half-time naturally and the boys showed the character that they show day in, day out.

“There was frustration at half-time not only because of what had gone on but also because we ourselves knew we hadn’t really got going.

“Our character showed in the second half.

“They played some good stuff in the first half that impacted us and their threats were coming to life, so we knew we had to be more of ourselves and they did it.

“I thought we were the team that was pushing in the second half.”

Colchester boss Matthew Etherington said: “It was a disappointing afternoon but in terms of the performance, there was plenty to like out there.

“I’m finding it hard to be positive after we’ve lost 4-1 but just watching stuff back, there was some good stuff by us.

“At 1-0 and at 1-1 we had really good chances to win the game.

“It’s never a sending off – I’ve watched it back and they seemed to be dictated to by their (Barrow) staff at half-time and then that carried on in the second half, which is disappointing.

“We created lots of good chances against a Barrow team who are sitting in the play-offs at the minute, some of the stuff was good.

“Defending set pieces is an area where we need to get better in and their first two goals fell to their players at the right time whereas a couple didn’t fall to us but that’s football.”