Ollie Banks scored against his former club as Barrow claimed a point against in-form Tranmere Rovers at The Dunes Hotel Stadium on Saturday.
Boss Mark Cooper opted to name an unchanged starting eleven following the midweek win at Northampton Town, while new signing Niall Canavan was included among the substitutes.
It became obvious from the first whistle that a strong wind was going to have a big effect on proceedings, and it was the visitors who played into it during the first half.
Due to the conditions, it was a fairly cagey start with good chances at a premium during the early stages though Barrow did enjoy some good possession.
However, on 16 minutes they allowed Rovers midfielder Josh Hawkes far too much space 20 yards out and the former Sunderland man curled an exquisite finish into the bottom corner of the net to hand the visitors a lead.
John Rooney came agonisingly close to marking his return to The Dunes Hotel Stadium with a leveller just before the half hour mark when he met Patrick Brough’s teasing cross, but his header was just too high.
Kieron Morris made something out of nothing when he chased a long ball to the byline and managed to square it for Kane Hemmings who looked set to double Tranmere’s lead only for Tom Beadling to hurl himself in the way with a heroic block.
The Bluebirds continued to play with confidence at times and another lovely move involving Luke James and Rooney saw Ollie Banks whip a testing cross into the area which was glanced just wide of target by Aaron Amadi-Holloway.
Rovers then drove forward after winning possession on the halfway line and a powerful shot from Morris picked up a deflection as it flashed across goal and just wide of Farman’s post.
The game changed on 57 minutes when a cross from the left struck a Tranmere hand inside the box and the referee was well placed to point to the penalty spot – Banks stepped up to calmly slide home from 12 yards to bring The Bluebirds level against his former club.
Barrow lost Tom Beadling to injury in the closing stages, which gave Mark Cooper the opportunity to introduce new signing Niall Canavan for his Bluebirds debut.
Farman was forced into an excellent save on 74 minutes when he went full-stretch to his left to keep out a long-range drive from Rovers’ Lee O’Connor.
Banks then slipped an incisive ball through the Tranmere defence to find Rooney who spun smartly and fired off a shot which looked destined for the far corner before Rovers keeper Ross Doohan got a decisive touch.
Moments later there was an even better chance after more good work from James provided Anthony Glennon with the chance to whip an inviting cross into the far post for Amadi-Holloway but he nodded his effort over the bar.
Rovers finished on the front foot and put some testing balls into the Barrow penalty area, but Cooper’s men defended well and claimed a creditable point against their promotion-chasing visitors.
Full Time: Barrow 1 Tranmere Rovers 1
Barrow: Farman, Hutton, Brown, Beadling, Brough, Glennon, Taylor, Banks, Rooney, James (Harris 92), Amadi-Holloway.
Subs: J Jones, Canavan, White, Williams, Wakeling.
Booked: Banks, Brown, Glennon.
Tranmere Rovers: Doohan, Dacres-Cogley, MacDonald, Knight-Percival, Morris, Hemmings, Hawkes, Glatzel (Nevitt 93), Foley, O’Connor, Clarke.
Subs: Murphy, Davies, Merrie, Jolley, McManaman, Warrington.
Booked: Dacres-Cogley.
Referee: Oliver Langford
Attendance: 3,699 (629 Tranmere Rovers)