Barrow A.F.C.


Barrow Association Football Club is an English professional association football club founded in 1901 and based in the town of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. The club will participate in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English league system, in the 2020–21 season, having been promoted as champions from the National League in 2019–20. Since 1909, Barrow has played their home games at Holker Street, close to the town centre and approximately half a mile from Barrow Railway Station.
Barrow spent 51 years in the Football League between 1921 and 1972, achieving promotion to the Third Division by finishing third in the Fourth Division in the 1966–67 season. The club's highest-ever league placing was achieved in 1967–68 when the team finished eighth in the Third Division, but a decline quickly set in from this point and, at the end of the 1971–72 season, Barrow was voted out of the Football League in the re-election process. They subsequently spent 48 seasons in the top two levels of non-league football, with five relegations from and promotions to the Alliance Premier League, of which they were a founder member in 1979. During this time they twice won non-league football's most prestigious cup competition, the FA Trophy, in 1990 and 2010, becoming the only club to win the tournament at both the old and new Wembley Stadiums.
The club colours are blue and white, though the combination of these has varied over time, leading to their nickname "The Bluebirds". The record attendance at Holker Street is 16,874 set against Swansea Town in the 1954 FA Cup third round.

Club history

Early years

Barrow was founded on 16 July 1901, at the old Drill Hall in the Strand and played initially at the Strawberry Ground, before moving to Ainslie Street and then on to Little Park, Roose. In 1903 Barrow was elected to Division Two of the Lancashire Combination and in 1908 the club won promotion to the first division. In 1909, Barrow moved once more to Holker Street, the stadium that they still occupy today. The club remained in the Lancashire Combination for up to and after the First World War, winning the league in the 1920–21 season. This victory preceded the formation of the Football League Third Division North in the 1921–22 season, and Barrow became one of the league's founder members.

Football League years

In their early years as a league club, Barrow was as notable for their lack of success as they were for any achievements. Their highest finish before the Second World War was 5th in the 1931–32 season. In the 1933–34 season, Barrow finished in 8th position. The club remained in the lowest tier of the Football League when football resumed after the war and were founder members of Football League Division Four in 1958–59. The 1950s saw greater success in the FA Cup, however. The club's record crowd of 16,874 watched Barrow draw 2–2 with Swansea Town in the 1953–54 FA Cup. A few years later, that was followed by a third-round tie in the 1958–59 competition against the then Football League champions, Wolverhampton Wanderers, at Holker Street. Wolves, captained by Billy Wright, won 4–2.
The late 1960s finally saw Barrow win promotion, after a third-place finish under the management of Don McEvoy in the 1966–67 Fourth Division. McEvoy's successor, Colin Appleton, lead Barrow to their highest ever final league position of eighth in the Football League Third Division the following season. The club topped the Third Division league table for one day during the 1968-69 season, the highest position that they have ever held. During this period defender Brian Arrowsmith became the player to make the most Football League appearances for Barrow. Barrow remained in the third flight of English football for three seasons before returning to the basement in 1970. Financial difficulties combined with poor performances saw Barrow twice up for re-election in 1971 and 1972. On the second occasion, at the end of the 1971–72 season, they were voted out of the Football League, to be replaced by Hereford United. Though the reasons for not being re-elected were many, three factors have been highlighted: Barrow's geographic isolation, Hereford United's FA Cup victory against Newcastle United, and the decision of the Barrow board to introduce a speedway track around the pitch at Holker Street, as a means of off-setting financial difficulties. Barrow joined the Northern Premier League for the start of the 1972–73 season. The club spent a total of 51 seasons in the Football League.

Return to non-league

To gain access to the Northern Premier League, the club had to promise to remove the infamous speedway track from Holker Street, though it remained until 1974. Barrow subsequently struggled in the Northern Premier with low financial resources. However, in 1979 Barrow was invited to join the new Alliance Premier League, the first national division in non-league football. In 1981 the club won the Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy, its first success as a non-league club since winning the Lancashire Combination in 1921, but relegation followed in 1983. Under manager Vic Halom Barrow won the Northern Premier League title the following season but were relegated again by 1986. Just before relegation, the club hired Ray Wilkie as a manager, who went on to lead Barrow to their then most successful period in non-league football.
After several narrow misses, Barrow won promotion back to the renamed Vauxhall Conference in 1988–89, finishing champions of the Northern Premier League. Driven by the goals of Colin Cowperthwaite, the club's record appearance holder and record goalscorer, Barrow achieved two respectable finishes in the Conference – 10th in 1989–90 and 14th the season after. As well as league success, Wilkie had many successful cup runs. In 1988, Barrow reached the FA Trophy semi-final, losing to Enfield after two replays, the first at Aggborough, Kidderminster and the second at Marston Road, Stafford. The first leg at Holker Street attracted 6,002 supporters – still a non-league record for the club. Enfield won the first leg 2–1, with Barrow winning the second 1–0. Enfield would go on to lift the trophy against Telford United in a replay at The Hawthorns, West Bromwich after a goalless draw in the final at Wembley. The season after, Barrow reached the 1st round of the FA Cup, losing out 3–1 against Rotherham United.
In 1990, Barrow won their first major trophy as a non-league club, the FA Trophy. In the final they beat Leek Town at Wembley. Scoring the first and third goals was Kenny Gordon, a player who was not normally found on the score sheet, and who was playing his final game for his hometown club before emigrating to Australia. Other notable members of the squad included Kenny Lowe, who was sold to Barnet for £40,000 after the final, then a club-record fee. The following season, benefiting from direct entry to the first round, Barrow made the third round of the FA Cup for the first time as a non-league club, losing 1–0 away to Third Division high fliers Bolton Wanderers.
Unfortunately, Wilkie was forced to step down during the 1991–92 due to health problems. That season Barrow would be relegated back to the Northern Premier League, and also coincided with Cowperthwaite's retirement, after a fifteen-year career with Barrow, finishing with 704 appearances and 282 goals. Wilkie died in December 1992, aged 56, and the road outside Barrow's Holker Street ground was later named 'Wilkie Road' in his honour.

Turmoil of the 1990s

Following Wilkie's departure and Barrow's subsequent relegation, the club had three mediocre seasons in the Northern Premier League. In February 1995, Barrow was purchased by Stephen Vaughan, a boxing promoter and businessman. Vaughan poured money into the club, building an all-seater stand and allowing the club to sign players of Conference-standard. The Bluebirds achieved promotion to the Conference in 1997–98, under manager Owen Brown.
Soon afterwards Vaughan, who had connections with Liverpool drug-dealer Curtis Warren, was investigated for money laundering, although no charges were ever brought on the issue. Vaughan left the club at the end of 1998, withdrawing his financial support that had been keeping it afloat. It transpired that the club's main asset, its Holker Street ground, had been sold for £410,000 to Northern Improvements, a company Vaughan had an interest in. In January 1999, the club were the subject of a compulsory winding up order and a liquidator was appointed to run the club while efforts were made to establish who the legal owner of the ground was. A new members' company was formed with the aim of providing financial support to the club and with the long term intention of taking over the running of the club.
In the summer of 1999, the club was thrown out of the Football Conference for improper administration, despite avoiding relegation. After a long dispute and thanks to the support of the Football Association, Barrow were allowed entrance into the Northern Premier League for the 1999–2000 season, almost a month after it had commenced. Barrow managed to survive in the Northern Premier League under manager Kenny Lowe, despite having to assemble an almost entirely new squad. The team improved over the following few years despite remaining in the administration. They twice missed out narrowly on promotion back to the Conference, finishing second and third in the 2003–04 and 2004–05 seasons respectively. The legal disputes over the ownership of Holker Street were finally resolved in August 2002 and the new members' company bought the stadium from the liquidator. In 2003, the Football Association finally allowed the 'football membership' to be transferred to the new company.
In April 2004, Barrow defeated local rivals Workington in a two-legged final in the UniBond Presidents Cup. The game finished 6–6 on aggregate, Barrow winning on away goals. Following their failure to gain promotion to the Conference in 2004–05, Barrow became founder members of yet another division, this time the Conference North, which replaced the Northern Premier League at the level below the Conference National.

Return to the Conference National

During the following two seasons, Barrow showed poor form in the league, narrowly escaping relegation at the end of 2006–07. Manager Lee Turnbull, who succeeded Lowe when the latter had to give up the job for work commitments, was sacked in 2005 and replaced by Phil Wilson. Compounding this was the jailing of defender James Cotterill for an assault committed on the pitch. In a first-round FA Cup game, Cotterill punched Bristol Rovers striker Sean Rigg, the incident being missed by the referee but caught by the Match of the Day cameras, resulting in Cotterill being the only English player in recent history to be jailed for an offence on the pitch.
On 12 November 2007, after two years in the job, Phil Wilson was dismissed as manager. Although the sacking came two days after a good 1–1 draw in the FA Cup First Round against Bournemouth, it was the club's continued poor league form which cost the manager his job. Barrow's first-team affairs were shifted to players Paul Jones, David Bayliss and Darren Sheridan. Following a decent run of results, Bayliss and Sheridan were appointed as player-managers, whilst Jones became club captain. Bayliss and Sheridan led Barrow from 20th place in the league in December to fifth, ensuring a place in the playoffs for promotion to the Conference National. Barrow won the semi-final against Telford United 4–0 on aggregate, before beating Stalybridge Celtic in the playoff final, held at the Pirelli Stadium, Burton upon Trent.
After an initial strong start in the Conference National, which saw Barrow top the table during the first few weeks, the club began to struggle and found themselves just above the relegation zone by January 2009. Barrow had more success in the FA Cup, beating Brentford 2–1 with goals from David Brown and Matt Henney in Round Two, their first victory over Football League opposition since their elimination from the league in 1972. In the third round they were drawn an away tie against Middlesbrough, a Premier League team, losing 2–1. More than 7,000 Barrow fans travelled to Boro's Riverside Stadium, at the time the highest away attendance at the ground in the 14 years it had been open. The cup run earned the club around £250,000, allowing investment in playing resources to be made. Barrow managed to retain their place in the Conference, finishing twentieth.
Having made several alterations to the squad during the summer, the club started its 2nd season in the Conference National in August 2009. After a tough start, the club put together a good run, losing only once in 16 games, and reaching the FA Cup 3rd round, where they were beaten 3–0 by Premier League side Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on 2 January 2010, watched, again, by 7,500 travelling supporters. On 13 March 2010, a Gregg Blundell goal gave Barrow a 1–0 win away at Salisbury City in the 1st Leg of the FA Trophy Semi-Final. A week later a Jason Walker double secured a 2–1 victory in the 2nd Leg to send the Bluebirds to Wembley. Having secured their position in the Conference National in the last home match of the season, Barrow went on to win the 2010 FA Trophy Final against Stevenage Borough 2–1 at Wembley Stadium, thanks to a goal by Jason Walker during extra time. This made Barrow the first and only club to win the FA Trophy at both the old and new Wembley stadiums.
The 2010–11 season was less successful for the club, although they finished in 18th place and retained their Conference National place with a 2–0 victory over Hayes and Yeading on the last day of the season. Barrow failed to retain the FA Trophy due to a 2–3 defeat by Conference North side Guiseley. The following season Barrow enjoyed more success in the league, eventually finishing in 13th position. In February 2012, however, Darren Sheridan left the club by mutual consent following allegations made against him. Dave Bayliss remained at the club as manager.
The following season, 2012–13, Barrow was relegated from the Conference after losing 2–1 at Cambridge United on 13 April 2013. On the morning of 5 November 2013, Dave Bayliss parted company with Barrow via mutual consent. During that season, Barrow failed to win promotion back to the Conference Premier and finished 11th in the Conference North.
After a long month's wait after Bayliss' resignation, Barrow appointed former caretaker manager, Darren Edmondson on 10 December 2013.

Takeover

On 1 May 2014, it was announced that members of the club had voted in favour to allow Dallas businessman Paul Casson to complete a takeover of the club.
Barrow has crowned champions of the Conference North in the 2014/15 season with a 2–3 win away at Lowestoft on the final day of the season. The owner, Paul Casson, has targeted promotion in Barrow's first season back in the top flight of non-league football.
In November 2015, Barrow parted company with manager Darren Edmondson after a poor run of results left them mid-table and a 1–0 defeat to rivals AFC Fylde knocked them out of the FA Cup. Barrow appointed former Mansfield and Torquay boss Paul Cox as manager the next day.
On 20 September 2017, Barrow appointed Micky Moore as the new first team manager. Moore was sacked after FA Cup defeat in the Fourth Qualifying Round away at Shaw Lane on 15 October 2017.
Following the sacking, former Forest Green Rovers boss Ady Pennock was appointed as manager on 27 October 2017, to be accompanied by assistant manager Jamie Day and player/coach Grant Holt. Barrow narrowly avoided relegation and finished in 20th place. Barrow and Pennock parted company on 18 May 2018.
On 15 June 2018, Barrow unveiled former Blackpool and Chesterfield defender Ian Evatt as the club's new manager.
On 24 October 2018, Paul Casson announced that he would be stepping down as chairman and selling the club. In a statement, he said that director Paul Hornby would take over as interim chairman.

Colours and badge

Barrow's colours are blue and white. A kit with blue shirts and white shorts was in use by 1912, though Barrow's original colours were black and white stripes. From 1939 to 1959, a blue shirt with a white 'v' was the common design. Since then, the style of Barrow's kit has varied, from predominantly blue through to predominantly white, with occasional use of stripes or hoops. For the 2001–02 season, Barrow played in black and white stripes, to celebrate the club's centenary year. Although the away colours of Barrow have varied over time, the team wore a yellow kit with blue trim for the 2010 FA Trophy final. Barrow's second kit from 2011 until 2013 was sky blue but, for the 2013–14 season, they opted for a yellow away kit and a blue and white hooped home kit. This colour change lasted only a year and the club reverted to a white home kit with blue sleeves for the 2014–15 season. These kits were manufactured by Puma, who had a four-year deal due to expire at the end of the 2015–16 season. This deal ended one year short, as the club announced on 30 December 2014 that its kit would be manufactured by PlayerLayer from 2015–16. That kit was predominantly white with a royal blue trim, blue shorts, and white socks, whereas the away kit was a change from yellow to a royal blue shirt with white trim, white shorts, and blue socks. The style has changed again in recent years to the present combination.
The club's badge is based on the Barrow-in-Furness coat of arms. It features a submarine, representing the town's shipbuilding industry, a red rose symbolising Lancashire and an image of a football. Inspired by the town badge, a rebus of a bee and an arrow represents the club's name.

Stadium

has been Barrow's home ground since 1910. Before this it had hosted Hindpool Athletic Football Club, and before that was the site of a rubbish dump. The first game at the stadium was a 5–2 win for Barrow against Eccles Borough. The ground was gradually developed so that by the resumption of football after World War Two, it had four fully covered terraced stands. The record attendance was achieved in 1954 when 16,784 fans watched an FA Cup third-round tie against Swansea Town. Floodlights were erected in 1963, and the ground hosted speedway meetings during the 1970s which necessitated the demolition of the 'Steelworks End', previously damaged by fire, the re-positioning of the pitch and the removal of the front rows of terracing. Following the removal of the speedway track, the pitch was moved back to its original orientation and a new leisure centre with squash courts was constructed.
Under Stephen Vaughan's ownership, a new all-seater Main Stand with a capacity of around 1,000 was built at the Wilkie Road side but, since then, the only significant change to the ground has been the removal of an unsafe roof over the Holker Street end terraces. Described as having "a traditional, old fashioned feel", the ground has three sides of terracing. The Brian Arrowsmith Stand is raised above the central portion of the pitch, with flat standing on either side. The Popular Side now has the only covered terracing, opposite the Brian Arrowsmith Stand.

Players

Current squad

Current management

PositionNameNation
ManagerDavid Dunn
Assistant ManagerVacant
PhysiotherapistCallum Walters
Strength and Conditioning coachMatthew Pelham
Sport TherapistRhys Daly
Goalkeeping CoachVacant
Club DoctorSteve McQuillan
Kit ManRyan Sutherland
AnalystVacant
Social MediaRyan Sutherland

Managers

As of June 2018. Only league matches are counted.

Honours and achievements

Records