Barrow AFC left Radcliffe on Tuesday night with a 0-0 draw, but manager Adam Murray believes two perfectly good goals were wrongly ruled out.
The Bluebirds struggled to break down their hosts in a bruising pre-season clash. League standing (final 2025 table -- new season not yet under way): 24th in League Two, 36 pts, 9W-9D-28L from 46 games, recent form LLLWL.
What went wrong in the Radcliffe clash?
Murray called the game a real test, with Radcliffe’s physical approach catching Barrow off guard. “It was a real game of football,” he told the club’s official website. “Tuesday night was very physical, and they gave us different challenges to what we’ve dealt with so far in pre-season.”
Two clear chances were ruled out by the officials, a call Murray disputes. “We had two goals disallowed that, looking back at the footage, were perfectly OK,” he said.
Why the stalemate hurts Barrow
The lack of goals is a concern for a side chasing a better finish. “Our intensity and work rate were excellent throughout,” Murray insisted. “Even in pre-season, we want the mentality of, ‘if we can’t win, we don’t get beat’.”
The side’s recent run (0W-0D-5L in their last five) shows they need sharper finishing. Goals this season: 45 scored, 78 conceded (-33 goal difference).
Where do the Bluebirds go from here?
Murray’s side now turns its focus to the league opener, with the new campaign just around the corner. “There were lots of things we were really pleased with and some good lessons learnt overall from the game,” he said.
The pre-season has underlined work to be done in front of goal. With the transfer window still open, every minute of competitive football matters. Title race: 51 points behind leaders Bromley.
Barrow head into their next fixture needing to turn chances into goals and start the league campaign strongly.
