Barrow v Barnet match thread

[MisterPleasant]

Will Tuesdays pointless cup game count as one of MJs suspended games? .. surely he will get 3 games ?

Don't think so but Saturday's FA Cup will count.

[Adam29]

No - EFL Trophy has its own disciplinary rules

[Mark Johnson]

MJ should play on Tue then

[BarrowLad71]

.
One negative was the attendance - a bit disappointing after this good little run we’ve been on.

I cannot disagree. Given the publicity the club gave the game with the digital advertising board and the posters promoting the game they are probably left scratching their heads thinking what more can they do.
The novelty of being back in the EFL has definitely worn off for some this season and the attendances numbers have to be a concern for the owners.

Too expensive for the floating fan - simple as that really. Not the clubs fault given the wages and transfer fee’s we have to pay but it’s the truth unfortunately that football is just too expensive for a floating fan these days unless it’s something really enticing like a one off game.

[Mark Johnson]

I cannot disagree. Given the publicity the club gave the game with the digital advertising board and the posters promoting the game they are probably left scratching their heads thinking what more can they do.
The novelty of being back in the EFL has definitely worn off for some this season and the attendances numbers have to be a concern for the owners.

Too expensive for the floating fan - simple as that really. Not the clubs fault given the wages and transfer fee’s we have to pay but it’s the truth unfortunately that football is just too expensive for a floating fan these days unless it’s something really enticing like a one off game.

Whing was definitely emphasising the importance of an FA cup run. We need a big away game every few years in order to bridge this gap, prize money for getting there + gate receipts from a big tie and potential TV money.

I do think the novelty of us as a league team is wearing off and actually some of the younger fans soon wont even remember us as a non league team.

However, watching barrow in the conf norf days with 600 fans I would have said it was crazy to call a 2,900 gate ‘low’ !

[Bombadel]

I cannot disagree. Given the publicity the club gave the game with the digital advertising board and the posters promoting the game they are probably left scratching their heads thinking what more can they do.
The novelty of being back in the EFL has definitely worn off for some this season and the attendances numbers have to be a concern for the owners.

Too expensive for the floating fan - simple as that really. Not the clubs fault given the wages and transfer fee’s we have to pay but it’s the truth unfortunately that football is just too expensive for a floating fan these days unless it’s something really enticing like a one off game.

Don’t agree on the costing side of things, ( a barrow eats take out is probably more expensive than 21 quid ticket for the first home game in 2 weeks ) just floating fans prefer the premier league and we’ve only just started to turn a corner after a string of poor home performances.

Didn’t think the attendance was too bad, given we got 3,400 whilst in the top play off places at home against Harrogate March 2024.

[spirit of 1990]

I cannot disagree. Given the publicity the club gave the game with the digital advertising board and the posters promoting the game they are probably left scratching their heads thinking what more can they do.
The novelty of being back in the EFL has definitely worn off for some this season and the attendances numbers have to be a concern for the owners.

Too expensive for the floating fan - simple as that really. Not the clubs fault given the wages and transfer fee’s we have to pay but it’s the truth unfortunately that football is just too expensive for a floating fan these days unless it’s something really enticing like a one off game.

And that’s the problem right there, people want better players but that comes with a price tag, how many of those supporters who shout out for these better players lose interest after a few defeats?

As Nige said earlier, there’s a post showing the sending off on FB off someone showing as a “top contributor” but he’s sat at home watching the game!

[saltcellar]

So many talking points. Conflicted here because I’m delighted we clawed our way back into it but fuming that we put ourselves in that position. We were well on top up until the sending off. You can’t lash out like that and expect anything other than a straight red.
So then we come out with two changes at HT which made it harder for us to adjust to losing a man and the two subs. Think he should have let the game get going first as it was clear they were going to come out with their tails up. So it proved and we conceded two quick goals and at that point it looked like we were down and out. Stanway somehow managed to get a touch on at least two other chances for Barnet to put the game to bed and that really lifted the crowd (who had been very quiet all game) and the players responded. Tackle after tackle going in to win the ball back, it was great to see. Gordon again never stopped running and putting in some great tackles from the front. Harper for me- is the best ball winning midfielder we have.
Not sure who put Hemmings through but he’s short of match sharpness and what looked like a great chance gone until the ball fell to Newby who drilled in a grass cutter which may have took a slight deflection on its way into the bottom corner.
Kanu continued to cause us problems down the left hand side and we needed to put someone on him as he was a big threat. Enter Poku and full credit to him marshalled Kanu and he stuck on him and did a good job to nullify his threat.
Thought the ref let a lot go without any words about their Centre Half’s constantly holding Josh Gordon at corners and just about every ball that was played in the air. Just nothing given, Fletcher also had a half shout for a pen for a shove in his back, Another shove 2 minutes later in the centre of the park- free kick given.
So in the end- A what looked like a winning opportunity up to the red card lost and then a hard fought come back with 10 men depending on how you want to view it. They all put in an almighty shift so taking that as a good point in the end.

Tom Barkhuizen put Hemmings through.
More than a slight deflection for Elliott Newby's goal.
His shot was deflected by a Barnet player and was going wide.
It then deflected off another defender towards the net where it finished up.

[Jonty]

So many talking points. Conflicted here because I’m delighted we clawed our way back into it but fuming that we put ourselves in that position. We were well on top up until the sending off. You can’t lash out like that and expect anything other than a straight red.
So then we come out with two changes at HT which made it harder for us to adjust to losing a man and the two subs. Think he should have let the game get going first as it was clear they were going to come out with their tails up. So it proved and we conceded two quick goals and at that point it looked like we were down and out. Stanway somehow managed to get a touch on at least two other chances for Barnet to put the game to bed and that really lifted the crowd (who had been very quiet all game) and the players responded. Tackle after tackle going in to win the ball back, it was great to see. Gordon again never stopped running and putting in some great tackles from the front. Harper for me- is the best ball winning midfielder we have.
Not sure who put Hemmings through but he’s short of match sharpness and what looked like a great chance gone until the ball fell to Newby who drilled in a grass cutter which may have took a slight deflection on its way into the bottom corner.
Kanu continued to cause us problems down the left hand side and we needed to put someone on him as he was a big threat. Enter Poku and full credit to him marshalled Kanu and he stuck on him and did a good job to nullify his threat.
Thought the ref let a lot go without any words about their Centre Half’s constantly holding Josh Gordon at corners and just about every ball that was played in the air. Just nothing given, Fletcher also had a half shout for a pen for a shove in his back, Another shove 2 minutes later in the centre of the park- free kick given.
So in the end- A what looked like a winning opportunity up to the red card lost and then a hard fought come back with 10 men depending on how you want to view it. They all put in an almighty shift so taking that as a good point in the end.

Tom Barkhuizen put Hemmings through.
More than a slight deflection for Elliott Newby's goal.
His shot was deflected by a Barnet player and was going wide.
It then deflected off another defender towards the net where it finished up.

Needed that bit of luck I guess to rescue an unlikely point.

[Big_Bluebird]

So many talking points. Conflicted here because I’m delighted we clawed our way back into it but fuming that we put ourselves in that position. We were well on top up until the sending off. You can’t lash out like that and expect anything other than a straight red.
So then we come out with two changes at HT which made it harder for us to adjust to losing a man and the two subs. Think he should have let the game get going first as it was clear they were going to come out with their tails up. So it proved and we conceded two quick goals and at that point it looked like we were down and out. Stanway somehow managed to get a touch on at least two other chances for Barnet to put the game to bed and that really lifted the crowd (who had been very quiet all game) and the players responded. Tackle after tackle going in to win the ball back, it was great to see. Gordon again never stopped running and putting in some great tackles from the front. Harper for me- is the best ball winning midfielder we have.
Not sure who put Hemmings through but he’s short of match sharpness and what looked like a great chance gone until the ball fell to Newby who drilled in a grass cutter which may have took a slight deflection on its way into the bottom corner.
Kanu continued to cause us problems down the left hand side and we needed to put someone on him as he was a big threat. Enter Poku and full credit to him marshalled Kanu and he stuck on him and did a good job to nullify his threat.
Thought the ref let a lot go without any words about their Centre Half’s constantly holding Josh Gordon at corners and just about every ball that was played in the air. Just nothing given, Fletcher also had a half shout for a pen for a shove in his back, Another shove 2 minutes later in the centre of the park- free kick given.
So in the end- A what looked like a winning opportunity up to the red card lost and then a hard fought come back with 10 men depending on how you want to view it. They all put in an almighty shift so taking that as a good point in the end.

Tom Barkhuizen put Hemmings through.
More than a slight deflection for Elliott Newby's goal.
His shot was deflected by a Barnet player and was going wide.
It then deflected off another defender towards the net where it finished up.

You don’t shoot you don’t score. He doesn’t take the shot on earlier in the season

[Jonty]

I cannot disagree. Given the publicity the club gave the game with the digital advertising board and the posters promoting the game they are probably left scratching their heads thinking what more can they do.
The novelty of being back in the EFL has definitely worn off for some this season and the attendances numbers have to be a concern for the owners.

Too expensive for the floating fan - simple as that really. Not the clubs fault given the wages and transfer fee’s we have to pay but it’s the truth unfortunately that football is just too expensive for a floating fan these days unless it’s something really enticing like a one off game.

Last minute decision to go today. £26, but then again everything has gone up massively in price.

[Barrow Lad New]

With bottom teams Newport and Crawley both winning today, Leaue Two is getting more compressed meaning it was vital Barrow stretched the unbeaten run to six. We are now in 15th with only 5 or 6 points each way to the play-off and relegation places.

The lads did this against the odds, playing for an hour with ten men and coming from behind against the wind in the second half. A strong first half performance saw us gain the lead within 10 minutes, Gordon taking full advantage of a defensive error, and also look good for increasing the margin. Sadly, the red-mist retaliation by MJ Williams threw the game plan out of the window forcing a couple of changes at the break.

For a time we struggled to contain Barnet who threw the kitchen sink into our area and after we went 2-0 down on the hour it looked like the floodgates would open with half an hour of normal and seven minutes of time added remaining.

However, within 10 minutes we had levelled with a fine counter and deflected Newby strike. Last ditch defending including more fine Stanway blocks and saves kept the 2-2 scoreline, although at times our goal led a charmed life, an 84th minute pinball scramble thankfully coming to nothing.

Our first shot on goal came within three minutes, Evans saving at the left near post from Fletcher. A 6th minute Jackson corner saw Raglan head well over the bar.

Four minutes later we went 1-0 up when the Barnet defence went AWOL allowing Mahoney to cross from the right and Gordon to slot home.

In the 17th minute, Barnet’s Kanu shot from the left was saved by Stanway.

In the 20th minute, Gordon came agonizingly close to making it 2-0. With the keeper stranded, he fired towards the empty net only for defender Tavares to clear off the line.

In the 32nd minute, keeper Evans redeemed himself by bravely saving at the feet of Gordon.

In the 39th minute, MJ Williams floored Kanu with a punch and was red-carded. Whatever Kanu did to cause the retaliation was not punished,

We saw the first half out for Mahoney and Fletcher to be replaced by Worrall and S,Smith at the break. Barnet replaced Crichlow-Noble with K.Smith.

Playing against the wind with 10-men, two of them just on the pitch, proved to be our undoing for the first 20 minutes. Defending attack after attack, Barnet punished gaps in our defence.

It took little more than five minutes for Stead to exploit our weaknesses, firing in during a goalmouth scramble. Before this Whitfield had been carded for pulling back Kanu.

Two minutes after the goal, a ball from Collinge to Ndlovu was punched away by Stanway, only for Stead to fire into the net for his second- but an offside was given.

In the 55th minute, Harper was badly fouled but no Barnet player was carded. Around this time it appeared we were playing the officials as well! Further evidence of this is when Scott Smith appeared to have been fouled three minutes later but he was carded and a free kick was awarded to Barnet. From this free kick, our goal was again under siege and, after another scramble, Senior fired home from close range for 2-1.

Straight after the goal, Whing replaced Whitfield and McCann with Barkhuizen and Hemmings.

In the 64th minute, Glover hit the woodwork as fortune shone down on Barrow.

This seemed to be a wake-up call. Buoyed also by the fresh legs, we neutralized further attacks by Barnet more effectively and it looked like we might avoid an embarrassing scoreline.

Stanway was also on hand, and a superb block from Ofoborh in the 67th minute further kept us in the game.

We then engineered a superb counterattack following a Barnet corner in the 68th minute. A superb counter by Barkhuizen assisted Hemmings to a shot which was blocked. Newby then firing home from the rebound, although, due to a deflection, Tavares- who had recently blocked a certain Barrow goal at the other end- was credited with an own goal.

Ndlovu was then booked for Barnet, while they replaced Ofoborh and Stead with Assombalongs and Shelton in the 75th minute.

Stanway came to the rescue in the 82nd minute, catching a cross from Glover, but two minutes later it was mayhem in our crowded penalty area. Blocks and saves at close range from Assombalonga, Collinge and Shelton earned us a share of the spoils.

In the 86th minute, we replaced man-of-the-match Gordon with Adu-Poku for his home debut, while Barnet replaced Ndlovu with Hawkins.

Two minutes later, Stanway saved a long-range shot from K.Smith.

Six minutes or added time- which turned to seven- saw Kanu replaced by Winterburn and Barrow neutralize further threats,

The Barrow players were given an ovation at the end for rescuing a point and maintaining the unbeaten run.

Attendance was 2,919 including 110 visiting fans.

[BarrowLad71]

Too expensive for the floating fan - simple as that really. Not the clubs fault given the wages and transfer fee’s we have to pay but it’s the truth unfortunately that football is just too expensive for a floating fan these days unless it’s something really enticing like a one off game.

And that’s the problem right there, people want better players but that comes with a price tag, how many of those supporters who shout out for these better players lose interest after a few defeats?

That’s the battle for every club in the EFL unfortunately. We’ve still got a long long way to go to improve the match day experiences to keep dragging people back. Winning is always the best way.

Lot of marketing went into today’s game , but the ‘ Next game board ‘ by the soccer bar wasn’t even filled in. As I said , long way to go but they’ve just got to keep pushing.

Hopefully we can get a few of the younger supporters back in the HSE with a few wins as that corner has really died off

[Methuselah]

I cannot disagree. Given the publicity the club gave the game with the digital advertising board and the posters promoting the game they are probably left scratching their heads thinking what more can they do.
The novelty of being back in the EFL has definitely worn off for some this season and the attendances numbers have to be a concern for the owners.

Trouble is when it's wet or cold like today people watch it on their dodgy sticks someone just showed the sending off on Facebook and his tag says top contributor that sums up people in Barrow unfortunately!

There is your answer to the low attendance number today blue nige which you mentioned,dodgy sticks.All these people are doing is depriving the club of money and giving it to somebody who has no connections to the club.These people are pariahs who contribute nothing to the survival of our club.

[xerxes]

Never been so pleased with a home draw! Barnet are a decent side, certainly too good to play against with 10 men for most of the match. At 1-2 I thought we could have collapsed completely, but we are getting some luck which had deserted us earlier in the season - Barnet hitting the bar, then Newby's shot going wide until two deflections put it in the net.

Fully deserved MoM for Josh Gordon.