We take a look at Barrow's previous visits to Stevenage ahead of Friday night's League Two encounter at The Lamex Stadium.
Friday sees our sixth visit to The Lamex Stadium and we will be looking to record our second win at the venue.
Our first visit was on 17th April 1999 – two weeks before the end of the season. Stevenage were on course for a top six finish, whilst we had been battling for survival on and off the pitch.
Our next visit to Stevenage was on 17th January 2009, after we had won our way back to the non-league top-flight through the Blue Square North play-offs at the end of 2007/08.
It was an afternoon for Barrow to forget and the 3-0 scoreline might have been much worse. Barrow were reduced to ten men on 17 minutes when Andy Bond saw red for a two-footed challenge on Lee Boylan. The only surprise was that it took the home side until the 39th minute to take the lead through David Bridges. Steve Morison added two goals in three minutes early in the second half. Then, with Morison hunting his trick, Steve McNulty brought him down in what the referee considered to be a last man challenge and the big defender also saw red. Down to nine men with over half an hour to go, things looked bleak, but we hung on to escape with only a three-goal defeat.
Our last non-league visit to The Lamex Stadium was on Tuesday 9th March 2010, just four days before the first leg of our FA Trophy Semi-Final at Salisbury City.
It was the game that saw defender Paul Edwards make his Barrow debut but that was the only bright spot on a night where the home side won convincingly to go back to the top of the table ahead of Oxford United.
Their hero was pacey striker Yemi Odubade, who opened the scoring on 29 minutes and completed a hat-trick with further goals on the hour mark and six minutes from time. The other scorer, on the stroke of half time, was Scott Laird.
Our next visit to Stevenage came on 27th March 2021, under the stewardship of Rob Kelly, with Barrow losing 2-1 to a contentious late penalty.
The caretaker boss gambled further when he threw Calvin Andrew into the fray and the big front man paid him back with a leveller on 78 minutes. An incisive pass from Banks opened things up for Devitt who threaded it wide right for Barry and, when he clipped an inviting ball into the middle, Andrew glanced a perfect header down and into the far corner.
It looked as though Andrew’s goal would be enough to rescue a draw for The Bluebirds, but Stevenage won a penalty, in extremely controversial circumstances, five minutes from time when Brad Barry was adjudged to have felled his man just inside the box. Norris confidently struck home the resultant spot-kick to restore the home side’s lead and clinch the points.
Our most recent visit to Hertfordshire came on the opening day of last season, which ended in defeat for Barrow, as Jake Reeves’ emphatic finish just after half time ensured Stevenage collected three points at The Lamex Stadium.
Reeves’ strike came less than thirty seconds after the break and proved the critical moment during a closely fought encounter.
Hopefully on Friday night we can recapture the spirit of 1999 - and the same result.