Night Out

A Merseyside Thriller

Paul Lindsay goes to watch a non-league epic…

I have a confession to make! 

I've recently cheated on the Red Dragons and been to watch the Bluebirds! However, before I'm hung, drawn and quartered, I should hastily add that I'm not referring to those South Walians currently being bankrolled by that 'Lebanese Businessman' Sam Hammam, but my home-town team, the Unibond League's finest, Barrow AFC.

Although I've not lived in the town for over 20 years, the club was my first love and with recent events culminating in the announcement of the resignation of the Wrexham management trio, the prospect of a trip to Crosby, north Liverpool, for Barrow's encounter with Marine was, on this occasion, more enticing than a visit to Saltergate for the Reds' clash with Chesterfield.

If you've never been to Rossett Park before, your first encounter is likely to be something of a shock. To describe the ground as hemmed in would be an understatement of mammoth proportions. Along one touchline there are three steps of covered terracing with barely enough depth for two people to pass - imagine that old narrow side terrace at Bradford's Valley Parade and slice it in half! This incidentally is actually the better side of the ground. On the opposite touchline there is not even enough room for a path around the pitch - the rear walls of the terraced properties surrounding the ground extending almost up to the touchline, to the extent that a quick one-two with the wall would have been a viable proposition. The rear windows of the nearby houses offered a free view of the action from closer proximity to the pitch than the Racecourse's own executive boxes. Not that anybody was watching, mind!

The best part of the ground is the 400-seat cantilever stand, built in 1999, that was accessible for a £1 supplement to the admission price of £6. I declined the offer, preferring to take my place among the travelling contingent from Cumbria. Barrow are by far the biggest club in the Unibond, one step down from the Conference, and attract 1,000+ to home games, and it is not unusual for the club to double the gates of those sides they are visiting. For Barrow's visit to Marine there were probably approaching 100 travellers in a 300-400 crowd.

With five minutes to the start, Robbie Williams optimistically begged us to allow him to entertain us over the tannoy, as Marine trotted out to a smattering of applause; and you can accuse me of bias if you like, but the cheer Barrow received was definitely more audible as they appeared a few moments later. Kicking towards the new stand, the Bluebirds started brightly and caused Marine plenty of problems down the right with full-back Simon Shaw employed in a wing-back role, providing ammunition for lively centre-forward, former Hartlepool and York City striker, Nicky Peverill. 

Over on the far touchline, Barrow manager Kenny Lowe was providing encouragement to the team. A former player who secured his place in Barrow
folklore as part of the 1990 FA Trophy- winning team, before going on to enjoy a league career with Barnet, Birmingham, Stoke and Hartlepool, Lowe returned to Cumbria as player- boss in the troubled summer of 1999 when the club almost folded, but has since hung up his boots as a player.

Marine, always one of the more consistent sides in the league, took the lead on the half-hour when a well-stuck low shot beat Barrow's keeper at the far post. Disappointed, I headed for the tea bar and took comfort in a cup of Kenco Instant Cappuccino, worth 50p of anyone's money. Back at the game, the setback had only served to fire up the Cumbrians and they enjoyed their best period up to that point in the final quarter of the first half, despite being thwarted by the referee with a couple of dubious offside decisions. 'How can he be offside you carrot?' screamed a man to my right in a green fleece, 'look where their number-five is!' After being unjustly turned down for a penalty, Peverill broke through and unleashed a fierce shot which Clarke in the Marine goal did well to parry into the path of Barrow's no.11, Grant Holt, who couldn't keep the ball down and blasted over the bar from six yards with what was to be the last kick of the first half.

In time-honoured tradition, I changed ends at half time, a practice not seen in league football for many years, but still commonplace in the non-league game, and joined the noisy band of Barrow fans on the open terrace behind the far goal. A fair bit of banter with Marine's chief steward had been enjoyed in the first half and the Barrowvians were soon chanting: 'WE WANT CHIEFY!' He eventually appeared in his fluorescent jacket and warned the Barrow fans over their language. 'WE ARE BARROW, SUPER BARROW, NO ONE LIKES US, WE DON'T CARE!' came the retort. Holt made amends for his earlier miss by scoring an equaliser early in the second half, lobbing the ball over Clarke into an empty net following a mix-up with the Mariners' vertically-challenged right-back, Gelling. Unfortunately Barrow's concentration lapsed and Marine promptly went upfield and retook the lead.

A group of about half a dozen Marine youths ambled round to the Barrow end to taunt us. 'Watch out for your trainers, lads!' called out a Barrow wag. 'Oh. go and wash your faces with sand', came the rather bizarre response from the Scousers. 'Leave them alone', said a Barrowvian, and rather predictably added: 'At least while they're in here they can't nick my hubcaps'.

Barrow continued to put pressure on the Marine defence. 'He's never offside, you cabbage,' said the obviously vegetarian fleece man. Finally the persistence paid off and Barrow equalised for the second time in the game. The game was not over though, and not having learned their lesson, Barrow promptly conceded for a third time shortly after.

In the end the result could have gone either way but it was obvious from the enthusiastic applause of the octogenarian Mariners, who couldn't hide their delight and clapped every member of the Marine side off the field, who were the happiest set of supporters. A number of Barrow players, clearly frustrated at missing out on a chance to go top, had to be restrained by boss Lowe from remonstrating with the ref at the end.

By coincidence, my other team also lost 3-2 at Chesterfield!