Holker Street: Barrow 1-1 Bristol Rovers

Barrow 1-1 Mansfield Town

As the 2023/24 season draws to a close, what better way to finish the season by completing the 92! Following a recent visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, it was only a visit to Barrow's Holker Street I had remaining. By chance, there was potential final day drama on the cards with Barrow needing to win to earn a play off spot whilst Mansfield Town were in full party mode after already sealing automatic promotion to League One. This had all the potential to be quite an afternoon! At 9.45am, I set off on my long journey north heading towards the A50, eventually going through Stoke-on-Trent, before joining the M6 for the next couple of hours before coming off at junction 36. I then took the A590 through Newby Bridge and Ulverston before finally reaching Barrow-in-Furness at 1.15pm parking on Schneider Road just a 5 minute walk from Holker Street. Basked in end of season sunshine, Holker Street is very much your typical old style football ground, plenty of terracing, basic facilities and tall floodlights (albeit the modern version!). With Barrow needing a win to reach the play offs and Mansfield Town still celebrating their promotion, there was plenty of hustle and bustle around the ground with a decent attendance expected. Just as I got to the ground, the Mansfield Town team coach had arrived with a large gathering of supporters cheering each player as they came off the coach. I then walked round the back of the ground to their Fan Zone which has a bar, plenty of seating both inside and out and numerous TV screens showing the early kick off. I continued my walk around the ground before making my way to the ASDA supermarket next to the ground to get a sandwich which I ate outside in the late April sunshine. By 2pm, I made my way back to the ground and made my way through the turnstiles to what was a very basic concourse area, a throwback to what I can only imagine 1970's and 80's football grounds must've been like! I made my way to the Tea Hut to get a hot drink before having a walk around the Holker Street terracing. Similar to my previous experiences visiting Burton Albion, it all felt very local where everyone knew each other very well and in the nicest possible way felt very “non-league-ish”. A football club in the heart of the local community. I headed back to the Popular Side near the half way line to take up my spot on the terrace. Just before the Barrow players headed back to the dressing room after their warm up, Pete Wild and his coaching staff got them all in a huddle for a few final words of encouragement before they all broke away to applaud the supporters in an attempt to whip up the atmosphere before the eagerly anticipated kick off. As the two sides came out the tunnel behind the goal, the supporters were in full voice with a banner display in the Holker Street End behind the goal and an array of blue and white flags being waved by the home support on the Popular Side. Unfortunately for Barrow, their afternoon didn't go to plan with already promoted Mansfield Town shattering their hopes of a first ever appearance in the EFL play-offs as the sides played out a 1-1 draw. The home side suffered an early setback when George Maris fired the Stags into the lead on 16th minute to make it 0-1 to the East Midlands outfit. Barrow have occupied the play offs places for the majority of the season yet recent poor form has cost them after failing to win any of their seven games in April. In the second half, the Bluebirds managed to find some composure in front of goal and found the equaliser to keep their play off chance alive. On the 58th minute, Mansfield goalkeeper, Christy Pym, kept out Kian Spence's free-kick from the edge of the area, however, Spence would not be denied and drilled home after good approach play by Sam Foley. In front of Barrow's second highest attendance of the season of 5,668, the Barrow faithful urged their side forward in search of a winner. Pym kept out a Dean Campbell effort as the tension increased. Mansfield had been second best for much of the second half but Nigel Clough's side then needed a goal themselves to secure second place, with Wrexham beating champions Stockport. However, the stalemate remained and both teams were left with a draw neither side wanted. While both sets of supporters applauded their respective sides efforts, I ran back to my car on Schneider Road and made my way out of Barrow-in-Furness on the A590. A road many Barrow supporters will be familiar with when going on their long away days! Eventually I joined the M6 southbound which after a couple of hours saw me going through Stoke-on-Trent before heading back into North West Leicestershire via Burton-upon-Trent. After a long day of driving, I finally got home at around 8.15pm. All in all, a really enjoyable day out in Barrow and even more satisfying to complete the 92 once again! Roll on either Solihull Moors or Bromley next season.....

Barrow 1-1 Bristol Rovers

A day of firsts for myself, the first time I had ever been to the Cumbrian town of Barrow in Furness and the first time I had ever seen Barrow AFC play. After losing their league status in 1972 following the re-election process the club finally returned to the Football League in 2020. Following the premature curtailing of the 2019/2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic Barrow were declared National League champions on a points per game basis and so returned to the Football League after an absence of 42 years. A lot has changed over the 42 years, but I would question how much the Holker Street ground has! It’s very much non-league standard. There is a seated stand that straggles the halfway line which looks ok, but as it has no entrance and no windows it looks very drab from the main road. Behind one goal is an equally drab two storey building with a few steps in front for standing purposes. The building houses the main reception, the dressing rooms, ticket office (a room with a middle-aged couple sitting at a table) and I dare say modest hospitality areas. The building has no architectural merit whatsoever and, in my opinion, although I’m sure functional, is an eye saw. Adjacent to this behind a wooden fence is a fan zone where fans can have a drink and watch the lunchtime game prior to the kick off. The two other sides behind the opposite goal on Holker Street and on the side where the TV gantry is are concrete terraces with a decent roof to protect from the elements. As for the game itself, a wonderful sunny August afternoon at the bizarrely named Dunes Hotel Stadium saw plenty of effort but at times a lack of quality. Both goalkeepers were tested early on with goal bound headers but the game, which was getting a little feisty, boiled over in 31 mins with a full-scale melee in the Barrow penalty area. Following what seemed a lengthy delay the Barrow defender Mark Ellis was sent off for violent conduct leaving the home side to re-organise with 10 men. Bristol Rovers did create chances without being able to convert but then in the 44 minute, Sam Nicholson finally put them in the lead. He found space on the edge of the box and fired a left foot shot low into the corner of the net beyond the outstretched Farman. Because of the sending off the referee added 5 minutes stoppage time and in that time Barrow managed to equalise. A shot into the Rovers box by Williams was helped into the net by the experienced Ollie Banks. His first goal since raring from Tranmere in January. In the second half although Rovers had more possession, the final pass was often wayward, and it was Barrow who came closest to taking the lead. George Williams dipping free kick tipped over the bar by Belshaw and striker Josh Gordon smashing the crossbar with an excellent effort from distance. As both managers made substitutions the game became scrappy, in the latter stages, it looked like Bristol were the more likely to grab a winner and had it not been for Paul Farman, they may have done so. He dived at the feet of Saunders and pushed a header from Anderson over the bar from a corner in the dying minutes. Did either side deserve to win? Probably not so a fair result. After playing Aston Villa on Tuesday in the League Cup and playing an hour with 10 men today, I suspect Mark Cooper would be happy enough with a point. Following relegation from League One last season, Bristol Rovers you would think would be one of the fancied teams this year. They have not made the best of starts, their manager Joey Barton divides opinion and the Rovers rebuild may take a bit longer than many hope.

Holker Street

Thursday, September 2, 2021

Barrow 1-1 Bristol Rovers

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