Stevenage make one final trip in Sky Bet League Two as they battle with Pete Wild’s Barrow to conclude an unforgettable campaign…
Last weekend, Boro’s objective of automatic promotion was finally achieved as Jamie Reid and Luther James-Wildin grabbed the goals in a memorable 2-0 victory. Tomorrow, they face one final test as they take on Barrow for a chance to finish second in the table and end the season on a high note. Kick-off is at the earlier time of 12:30pm.
Since promotion to The Football League in 2020, Barrow have had two campaigns of fighting for survival. However, this time around, they have had a season to be proud of as they sit ninth in the table, winning eighteen of their forty-five league games. The Bluebirds began the season in fine form as they picked up seven wins from their opening nine league games.
However, inconsistency kicked in and they fell out of the race for promotion. Barrow are winless from their last four matches, with their most recent victory being a 4-0 thrashing over Crawley last month. Last weekend, the Bluebirds suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Hartlepool United with Harrison Neal and Patrick Brough receiving red cards.
Pete Wild took over as Barrow boss in May 2022 and soon spearheaded a great increase in the club’s performance on the pitch. Previously, he had a managerial spell at Halifax Town that lasted two seasons, and had caretaker spells at Oldham Athletic.
Boro and The Bluebirds have met on twelve occasions in the past, with tomorrow’s visitors possessing a respectable record. Stevenage have won seven, drawn three and lost just two of those meetings. The first ever encounter between the two clubs was in the 1998/99 Conference campaign as Carl Alford scored the game’s only goal.
Stevenage have enjoyed some high-scoring victories against Barrow at The Lamex Stadium, with a 3-0 victory in 2008/09 being followed by a 4-0 thrashing the following season.
The first time the two sides met in The Football League was in the 2020/21 campaign as Inih Effiong scored Boro’s only goal in a 1-1 draw. This season’s reverse fixture resumed the high-scoring trend as Stevenage netted five past Barrow at The Lamex Stadium.
Holker Street has played host to Barrow’s home fixtures since it was built in 1909. The ground has three sides of terracing and one all-seater Main Stand, the latter with a capacity of around 1,000. It’s total capacity is 5,400 with a record attendance of 16,874 being set in 1954 as Barrow faced Swansea in the FA Cup.
Andrew Kitchen has been appointed Match Referee for tomorrow’s match with Richard Wigglesworth and Conor Brown as Assistants, and Ivan Stankovic as Fourth Official.
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