Royston Town boss Steve Castle was delighted by the Crows ‘rolling their sleeves up’ to earn a comeback 2-1 victory at Barwell.

Down 1-0 and facing an second-half uphill battle on Kirkby Road’s sloped pitch, the Crows fought for a last-gasp comeback to uphold their unbeaten away record.

Brady Hickey put the hosts ahead before Bradley Ball equalised and Callum Ellesley netted an added-time winner for a 2-1 Royston win.

Speaking to CrowSport, boss Castle said: “It wasn’t the prettiest game but every lad rolled their sleeves up.

“It was frustrating and we had everything to do on a significant slope, but we had a nice second 45-minutes.

“The frustration and anxiety goes through the roof when you’re missing chances, which is a shame because it’s good football that makes the chances.

“It’s definitely given us more confidence and brought the group together.”

Royston were on top in the first-half but Barwell lead at the break, after Hickey was played through by Nigel Julien after 36-minutes. The forward touched into space and powered past Will Appleyard.

After 75-minutes of persistence, Royston equalised. Adam Murray charged forward before squaring to substitute Bell, who fired in from close-range.

The Crows were in control when Barwell’s Jean-Ruben Desrosiers was shown red with five-minutes left, and after 91-minutes they snatched the win.

The ball fell to Ellesley after a free-kick was launched in. The substitute spun and finished well, securing three-points in the final action.

Castle said: “I’m not taking credit for the substitutes. They came on looking to prove I was wrong for not starting them.

“They’ve given me something to mull over for the next game. It shows we have a stronger and more competitive squad than last year.”

The Crows have eight points from six games but their miserable home form is holding them back - something Castle wants to address.

He said: “We’ve got to come to terms with teams coming and being defensive. We need to be less reckless.

“It’s been stressful. Those losses have hurt and we’re determined to turn it around. The next home game might be approached differently. ”