Last updated 12:00, Thursday, 11 September 2008

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THE Bluebirds are well and truly back mixing it with the big boys of Conference football.

Unbeaten York City became the latest former Football League club to discover that Barrow AFC possess a pedigree as well.

The home crowd had fully expected to see an upstart put in their place and left with a grudging admiration for the promoted club.

Whether Barrow are punching above their weight remains to be seen, but not on the evidence so far, the visitors fully deserving to leave KitKat Crescent with a point – maybe Holker Street should be re-named Quality Street for the return?

The last time the two clubs met at Bootham Crescent was in the Football League back in 1970 with the home side prevailing 4-3. And there seemed to be a similar high-scoring game in prospect after a breathless opening 10 minutes to the game.

Three minutes in, talisman Steve McNulty – who it transpired played despite a groin strain – was brushed off the ball by Craig Farrell, who slipped a neat pass to fellow striker Richard Brodie.

The forward advanced at pace into the area and drilled a low left-foot shot across Tim Deasy into the far corner of the net right in front of the assembled Barrow faithful.

It could have been even worse a couple of minutes later as the Bluebirds nearly fell for the sucker punch of not defending their own corner.

Carlos Logan never lifted the kick beyond the first defender and all of a sudden a counter-attack down the left saw Brodie reach the by-line in the area but his pull-back just evaded the on-rushing Simon Russell.

AFC skipper Paul Jones blocked one shot in the ensuing scramble before Andy Bond cleared up field where Jason Walker almost caught York napping his pass just too heavy for Lee Hunt.

It wasn’t long before the visitors had equalised with Walker chasing down a defender. He laid the ball back to Bond whose cross was back-headed by Matt Henney and there was Lee Hunt to firmly head home his first goal for the club.

Then came one of the highlights as a Bond throw was only partially cleared and Walker’s launched into an acrobatic scissors kick that home keeper Michael Ingham did well to save low down. Eat your heart out the Premiership.

Paul Black then played a pinpoint ball down the left channel which Walker laid back to Mark Boyd, whose 30-yard rasper cannoned away off a defender.

There was another magic moment at the other end as Brodie left McNulty for dead and sent over a perfect cross met by a firm downward header from Farrell.

The home fans were already on their feet as Deasy somehow flung himself across goal to scoop the ball off the line (shades of Gordon Banks and Pele?).

Hunt’s persistence gave Boyd a shooting chance but he fired wide before Jones was booked for bringing down Farrell. Then Brodie again got the better of McNulty but Deasy was equal to his low near-post effort.

The half ended with Bond needing treatment for a cut head after appearing to be caught by a stray elbow.

However AFC’s managers – having stuck with the side that beat Mansfield – were not tempted to shore up the right side of defence by bringing on Mike Pearson.

Their decision was justified as Barrow drew the sting out of York with some possession football although Ashley Winn – playing against one of his former clubs – was booked for an over-zealous challenge on Simon Rusk.

Walker had a gettable snap chance, his shot flashing wide from 15 yards, before the Bluebirds received an almighty let-off on 65 minutes.

McNulty’s mistimed header back to Deasy allowed substitute Onome Sodje to race through, take it round Deasy and then roll the ball past the far post from a not-too-difficult angle.

It has to be said that for the rest of the match McNulty was back to his imperious best, both heading danger away and playing the ball calmly out of defence.

The Bluebirds almost went ahead 20 minutes from time as the impressive Black crossed and Henney jumped well to force a save similar to Deasy’s in the first half.

It was end-to-end stuff with Bond no sooner clearing off his line than Winn was running at the home rearguard before driving inches wide.

Jones did well to snuff out one attack and then Brodie curled a shot inches wide of the far post after Logan gave away possession.

Barrow nearly won it in time added on as Nick Rogan bamboozled the home defence with one of his typical dribbles along the by-line, Henney only thwarted at close range by Ingham’s brave block.

This was the kind of occasion the Barrow team and their fans relish and no disrespect to Harrogate – whose Wetherby Road ground is passed en route – but hopefully those days are now firmly behind the club.

It is also worth noting on the fitness front that the Bluebirds have not conceded in the second half against the four full-time teams they’ve met to date.

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