LEE Barnard is hoping his partnership with James Walker can fire the Shrimpers to promotion.

The forwards both scored against Crewe on Saturday, with Barnard bagging a brace against his former side.

And he is confident that them both hitting the back of the net could well be a sign of things to come.

"I really enjoying playing alongside Walks because he's a quality player," said Barnard.

"Now we've played together a bit more we have an understanding going and it was great we both got goals.

"Hopefully we can keep it going because we have some massive games ahead against teams around us in the table and we need to keep on picking up points in them."

Barnard's double took his tally to seven since signing from Tottenham Hotspur during the January transfer window.

But he was saddened to have sent Crewe closer to the relegation zone.

"Obviously I'm pleased to get two goals and for us to get the win and that matters the most but at the same time I do feel for Crewe," he said.

"I enjoyed my time here earlier on in the season and I really want them to stay up. Hopefully they can do it and I'm sure they can because this was a hard game for us.

"The scoreline flattered us a bit and we got a bit sloppy during the second half which was disappointing from our point of view."