Barrow

Barrow AFC is a professional football club that was formed in 1901 at a meeting at the Drill Hall on The Strand, to represent the port town of Barrow-in-Furness. The club started out life at the Strawberry Ground prior to a couple of quick changes of location.

Firstly, to Ainslie Street and then Little Park in Roose as membership of the Lancashire Combination was attained. Promotion to Division One in 1907-08 was followed by moving into their Holker Street home the following year.

There appears some confusion over their history for a few years, but it is thought that it consisted of a relegation and promotion, before ‘The Bluebirds’ won the Combination title in 1920-21 and joined the Football League as founder members of Division Three North for the 1921-22 campaign under manager William Dickinson.

The team under the watchful eye of John Commins finished fifth in their section in 1931-32 prior to reaching the FA Cup third round in 1945-46 before bowing out to Manchester City before Jack Hacking took over as manager from 1949 to 1955, after succeeding Andy Beattie. 

Further forays in the Cup followed, with third round defeats to Chelsea in 1947-48, Swansea Town in 1953-54, Sheffield United in 1955-56, and Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1958-59, as Barrow became a founding member of Division Four that same season.

Swansea Town ended hope of FA Cup glory in 1963-64 before Barrow, under manager Don McEvoy won promotion in 1966-67 as well as going out in round three of the cup against Southampton. Colin Appleton took over as player-manager in August 1967, taking the side to eighth place in Division Three, the same season the team played the boss’s former club Leicester City in the Cup third round.

Brian Arrowsmith was a stalwart on the pitch, while Appleton headed to Scarborough to take up the same role in his hometown. The team was relegated in 1969-70 and was voted out of the Football League at the end of the 1971-72 campaign to be replaced by Hereford United.

Barrow became members of the Northern Premier League, as the club struggled financially. They became founder members of the Alliance Premier League, precursor to the National League in 1979 but were relegated in 1982-83.

Colin Cowperthwaite went on to become the club record appearance holder and goalscorer and remained at the club, scoring in one game away to Kettering Town after just four seconds, while youngster Glenn Skivington earned a move to Derby County.

Several managers tried their best at Holker Street through this period, many with considerable experience and excellent playing records, but were hamstrung by a lack of cash. They included Vic Hallom, Peter McDonnell, Brian Kidd, Maurice Whittle, and David Johnson.

Ray Wilkie arrived in March 1986 and transformed the side. The 1988-89 Northern Premier League title was secured, while Barrow also had two memorable FA Trophy runs under wilkie. A semi-final was reached in 1987-88 going out to Enfield after a second replay at Marston Road in Stafford.

In 1989-90 the Bluebirds went all the way to the final where they defeated Leek Town 3-0 at Wembley as Kenny Gordon netted twice in a team containing superb midfielder Kenny Lowe, who was sold to Barnet for £40,000 after the game. 

The 1990-91 season saw Barrow go out in the third round of the FA Cup before Wilkie had to step down owing to health reasons. The team was relegated from the Conference in 1991-92 under former Altrincham midfielder John King.

Wilkie passed away in December 1992, aged just 56. The road outside Holker Street was renamed Wilkie Road. Cowperthwaite also retired, meaning it was a very difficult period for the club, who went through a series of managers. 

Back in the Northern Premier League and with continual financial struggles, boxing promoter Stephen Vaughan bought and then invested in the club, with Owen Brown leading a side full of Conference standard players to promotion in 1997-98.

However, things were far from well off the pitch, as Vaughan, with connections to the underworld in Liverpool, was being investigated for money laundering. He withdrew his financial support in 1998 while he sold Holker Street to one of his own companies.

A compulsory winding-up order was issued with a liquidator appointed, while a member’s company was formed to provide finances and take over. The club was relegated owing to improper administration at the end of the 1998-99 campaign.

The FA supported Barrow who fought hard to resolve the situation, as they joined the Northern Premier League Premier Division a month into the 1999-00 season, before the stadium was purchased in August 2002 and the club came out of administration the following year.

Former player Lowe had a spell as manager as the side ended as divisional runners-up in 2002-03 before Lee Turnbull took over as team boss. The Bluebirds became members of the newly formed Conference North in 2004-05 before Phil Wison became manager.

Player James Cotterill was jailed for assaulting Bristol Rovers player Sean Rigg in front of the Match of the Day cameras in an FA Cup tie in November 2005, in an off the ball incident missed by the referee but caught by the match coverage.

David Bayliss and Darren Sheridan took over as joint bosses, leading the side to promotion in 2007-08 as AFC Telford United and then Stalybridge Celtic were defeated in the play-offs. An FA Cup third round appearance away to Middlesbrough followed in January 2009.

The same stage was reached twelve months later, this time Sunderland proving too strong at The Stadium of Light. The team went down once again in 2012-13 before Darren Edmondson took over the manager’s position a few months later.

He took the team back up as Conference North champions in 2014-15 to the renamed National League, a season which had begun with the purchase of the club by Barrow born Dallas businessman Paul Casson who provided the increased playing budget.

In November 2015 Paul Cox was appointed as manager, formerly having taken Mansfield Town into the Football League. The 2016-17 campaign saw the team bow out in the third round of the FA Cup against Rochdale, with Micky Moore taking over as manager soon after.

Ady Pennock was next to have a short spell as manager as the side narrowly avoided relegation before the appointment of Ian Evatt in June 2018. Casson sold the club in a management buyout prior to a tenth place in the league offering promise.

The 2019-20 campaign was disrupted by Covid-19 and was eventually decided on points per game. Barrow were promoted as champions back to the Football League thanks to the goals of John Rooney and Scott Quigley.

However, following the success Evatt departed, tempted by the Bolton Wanderers manager’s job, and was replaced by David Dunn, who lasted just a few months before the experienced Mark Cooper was brought in, with the Bluebirds ending in twenty-first position.

They were too close to comfort again at the wrong end of the table in 2021-22 but reached the third round of the Cup before going out to Barnsley, as Phil Brown steered the side at the back end of the season, prior to the appointment of Pete Wild. His side finished 2022-23 in ninth place with Josh Gordon putting away the goals.

The Bluebirds missed out on a playoff spot on the final day of the 2023-24 season.

Barrow AFC will play in Football League Two in the 2024-25 season.

My visit

Barrow 1 Scunthorpe United 1 (Tuesday 19^th October 2021) Football League Two (att: 2,739 inc 86 away)

 

This proved to be a slow burner of a match and an epic long day out as I once again completed my set of all 92 Football League grounds.

Rail fares were exorbitant from London, so I decided to take the Megabus service towards Lancaster University. However, I had an epiphany as we headed into Manchester by checking the Trainline app. I jumped out at Shudehill, walked across to Piccadilly, and caught the train to Barrow for £13.

I recognised the jacket of a bloke getting on from Beaconsfield the previous evening. Lo and behold it was a poster who went by the name of BDA_85 on the Non-League Matters Forum waiting to get on, also heading to Furness for the match. Talk about a small world. It was nice to meet properly and have a chat.

After taking a photo of the Emlyn Hughes statue, I grabbed a look inside Craven Park rugby league ground, an impressive old school arena, home to Barrow Raiders. I was staying at the OYO Imperial Hotel near the Town Hall where I received a warm welcome.

Emlyn Hughes. Probably Barrow's most famous son and his statue near the station

Pre match beers taken in the excellent Duke of Edinburgh hotel bar, on the way to Holker Street, with samples from Lancaster Brewery most enjoyable. I chose to stand, with admission being £16, and was impressed by the small fans park located behind the disused end.

Good pies were on offer along with scalding Bovril. Perfect. The whole ambience reminded me of nights down Seamer Road watching Scarborough when they first got into the Football League. I liked it as a venue with its covered terrace down the side and main stand opposite.

 

Scunny were awarded a penalty by ref Ben Toner that was promptly put wide by Ryan Loft. However, they went ahead when George Taft headed home a corner from Hayden Hackney before Iron decided to hold on to what they’d got. The natives were restless as the half ended.

Gradually the Bluebirds increased the pressure in the second half. They probably overplayed the sideways passing a times, something those under the roof of the Ray Wilkie Stand weren’t slow in commenting on. Former Scarborough Athletic man Ollie Banks played the role of a poor man’s Pirlo, as he continually made himself available.

Another ex-Seadog, Tom White was on the bench. Eventually the Scunthorpe defence made an error as a penalty was conceded. Banks smashed the kick right up the middle, where it connected with the legs of keeper Rory Watson.

Eventually Barrow levelled through a low shot from Robbie Gott. Josh Gordon nearly won it for the home side as his looping header came back off the bar. The game saw both sides giving everything, if lacking a little creativity.

Walking back to town after the game a local engaged in conversation about the match, with a friendly “take care mate” as he headed down a terraced street. I liked that. In fact, I enjoyed the whole visit.

Barrow will never win any awards as a picture postcard town, but it’s built on good honest toil, and I liked the folk. Everyone I came across was friendly and helpful. I went back to the Furness Railway Wetherspoons, where several of the away fans were warming up and I raised a beer to Colin Appleton who more than made his mark in Barrow and my hometown. 

The following morning, I took a trip to look at the home of non-league club Holker Old Boys before heading to Durham via Carlisle and Newcastle from where I went to see the game between Crook Town and Consett.