Happy New Year, and let’s hope it’s one in which the promise the team showed in patches since August blossoms into to some really satisfying wins. A few in the league would do us the world of good, and give us a chance to live up to the expectations of the fans.

It being the end of the year, indeed the decade, Sky Sports wasted no time in reeling of the statistics….Kevin Kilbane having been the player who has suffered more Premiership defeats that any other. Just think how far ahead he’d have been in that miserable list if he’d stayed with us another two seasons. We also featured on Goal of the Decade (receiving end, of course), but enough of then and let’s look at now.

I’d been dreaming happily of scoring our tenth goal against Barrow, taking me ahead of Pop Robson as the oldest person to score for us, when the ref’s whistle went. The sound gradually changed into an incoming text alert. Timed at 02:48, I assumed it was of vital importance, but turned out to be from Ann off the Durham bus, asking if there was a Good Pub guide to Australia, and detailing her New Year’s Day helicopter ride over Sydney. Bet they haven’t got as much sun as we’ve got snow. I thanked her for the early wake-up call, and tried to get myself back into goalscoring mode for our eleventh…..

No such luck. Five more hours snoozing, then out into the cold, cold, snow. It was a virtual whiteout all the way from Bish, with even Houghton Cut failing to change the weather. There was a rumour that it would be called off if it were snowing at half two, but it wasn’t, although there were many a pair of bright, white trainers ruined on the way to the ground.

Fulop

Bardsley Cana Da Silva McCartney

Steeed Meyler Hendo Murphy

Campbell Bent

We lost the toss and kicked North, away from the expected large Barrow turnout –probably only bettered by Pools a few years back. There were even eight on our bus. The pitch looked in decent nick, but soon proved to be very slippery as several players went over or overcooked passes. Bardsley obviously saw the game as a chance to enhance his attacking credentials, and got forward at every opportunity, winning a corner and shooting over early on. Steed shot wide form the resultant corner before Barrow broke to force the first save of the day from Fulop, and they went on to fire in a free kick along the grass that Fulop did well to get a hand to. Steed disappeared down the tunnel for several minutes (finger or contact lens?) before emerging to get right into the game. Murphy put an excellent ball in front of the overlapping McCartney, and his low cross was touched into Steed’s path by Campbell. A left foot shot across the keeper made it 1-0 with fifteen gone with our first shot on target. That’s efficiency.

Cana then made an 80 yard dash out of defence to challenge the keeper (would probably have been a straight reed in the Prem, but there was nowt in it really) before their number 8 was booked, having made three or four fouls. He committed his fifth almost immediately, but the ref bottled it and allowed advantage to us, even though Barrow came away with the ball. Cana was then booked for kicking the ball away, and McCartney straight after for what looked like a perfectly good challenge on the edge of the box. Fulop saved and set us away on the attack, with Meyler having curling effort from the right tipped away for a corner, then Bent touched it to Steed who had his effort saved with Bardsley unmarked inside him.

No changes after the break, apart form the temperature dropping – where is the human windbreak of fat lads when you need them?- and it took only six minutes for Campbell to atone for a rather indifferent first 45 with a near post header form an excellent Murphy free kick. Bardsley produced some great work down the right to work it onto his left foot, and the cross found Campbell’s head again – 3-0, that’s more like it, and still 35 or so to play. Steed shot over with his left, Bent saw his effort saved, then had a header tipped onto the bar and away, and for large periods it looked like we’d add to our tally. Barrow were no mugs, mind, obviously up for the day and producing some decent football, with their keeper saving well from Bent and taking the ball off Campbell’s toes.

When it became obvious Bent wasn’t going to score, on came Ryan Noble, just after Campbell and the keeper were booked after the Barrow man put his knee up when collecting the ball and our man objected. Within a minute, young Ryan had turned a Murphy cross just wide. Healy came on for Murphy, then Liddle for McCartney as we settled for the win. There was still time for Campbell to head over and Fulop to save well from a free kick wide on their left. As the 90 minutes ran out, Liddle set Noble away as we cleared a corner, and the lad did everything but score, beating three men but also the far post.

So three nil, and while that looks about right, Barrow made a game of it. Murphy played a good game, helping to set up two of the goals, and the defence generally mopped up what Barrow threw at us. Meyler repeated his better than steady debut at Blackburn, and Henderson carried on with what we’re now used to from him despite us leaving big holes in central midfield at times. Steed will get may Man of the Match, with his first goal in many a month and generally sensible midfield play.

Keep the Faith, and let’s hope for a home draw as we head for Wembley once again.

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