The Bluebirds earned a valuable point away from home after drawing 1-1 with Walsall.
Wild made just one change this evening, compared to the side which ran out 2-0 winners against Colchester United back at Holker Street. Tonight saw Luca Stephenson come in for wing-back Tyrell Warren, with Tom White returning to the bench in place of Mazeed Ogungbo.
Wild’s men started the game on the front foot, creating their first chance in the first ten minutes, with Luca Stephenson receiving the ball from Cole Stockton, and managing to get his shot away but the ball drifted just wide of the right post.
The Bluebirds began to step on and continued to create chances, when Elliott Newby took a set piece from the right side of the Walsall box, his cross was met with the head of James Chester who was unlucky for his header back across the box to not be stabbed home from close range.
The Cumbrians began to pile on the pressure, in the hope of breaking down the Brummie defence, with the next chance missing just wide of the post when Robbie Gotts played the ball into the inform Stockton, whose header glanced agonisingly wide of the post.
The Saddlers soaked up the mounting pressure from the Cumbrian side and found themselves with a huge chance to score when Mo Faal collected the ball from Joe Foulkes in the 12-yard box, but his shot was superbly blocked by Chester to prevent the home side from going 1-0 in front.
The home side didn’t have to wait long for the breakthrough, with the opening goal coming five minutes before the break, the goal came from a corner taken by Taylor Allen and met by the head of defender Rollin Menayese who smashed it home before halftime. 1-0.
As the sides came back out for the second half it was a quick start from The Saddlers, who created their first opportunity within seconds of the start of the half, Faal once again found himself on the end of a cross but failed to convert from five yards out, with Paul Farman saving on the goal line.
Wild’s men got back on the offensive and won a corner which was taken by Newby, and was cleared as far as Kian Spence, whose low shot cannoned wide of the post.
The Bluebirds found themselves with the ball in the back of the net after Emile Acquah won the ball back from The Saddlers' defender to play it into Spence, who played it across the box to Stockton who took on his shot and rifled it into the bottom right corner.
However, the referee pulled it back for a challenge on Acquah in the build-up and in turn, gifted a penalty to the Cumbrians, which was dispatched away superbly by Dean Campbell to score his fourth goal of the campaign. 1-1.
After defending a barrage of chances from the Bluebirds, the home side began to settle and came close to gaining the lead, when Jack Earling’s curling shot was saved well by Farman.
Barrow continued to push late on for a winner and were so close to being rewarded for their efforts when Sam Foley was played in by Newby, but his shot was tipped away by the Walsall keeper.
The resulting then brought another huge chance for the Cumbrians as Rory Feely’s header, ricocheted of the post and was cleared by The Saddlers' defender with ten minutes left to play.
As both sides pushed deep into stoppage time for a winner, The Saddlers came closest after Farman made another incredible save, from a James-Taylor rifled shot, to earn a valuable point for the Bluebirds in the race for the playoffs.
After a hard-fought battle between the two sides, the game ends honours even with the Bluebirds taking a huge point back to Holker Street.
Farman ©, Campbell (White 86’), Ray, Spence, Newby (Whitfield 81’), Gotts (Foley 71’), Chester, Stephenson, Acquah, Stockton (Telford 71’), Feely.
Words by Dylan Whitbread
