Last updated at 11:32, Wednesday, 07 January 2009

MIDDLESBROUGH 2
BARROW AFC 1

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BARRROW AFC walked away from the Riverside wiith their heads held high after putting in a resolute display against Premier League Middlesbrough.

Though they were knocked out after a 2-1 defeat, Barrow belied their position four divisions below their hosts and gave Boro a real fright when Jason Walker put them within a single goal of their hosts with 10 minutes left.

The only dark spot on the day for AFC was a double leg break for right-back Mike Pearson, picked up in an innocuous tackle on halfway. The defender was spending Saturday night in hospital with the injury.

This is how the day unfolded, from the Bluebirds spending the night before the game in the same hotel as Stoke City through to the memorable 90 minutes on the field.

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Paul Turner reports live from the Riverside.

8pm: BBC Radio Five Live's 6-0-6 programme features one Barrow fan who describes Steve McNulty as the 'big fat one at the back' but who praises his side to the hilt - as do many others from both Barrow and Middlesbrough.

6.10pm: Gareth Southgate says his side lacked a killer instinct. “That’s what football should be about,” he says. Barrow have brought 7,000 fans and today is everything that is right about the game.

"There’s a team from the lower divisions who have come and given their all.”

6pm: Dave Bayliss and Darren Sheridan pay tribute to their players, describing Alan Martin as ‘different class’ and saying it has been a great day for everyone.

6pm: The news from the press conference is that Mike Pearson has suffered a double break to his right leg and will be spending the night in hospital.

5.40pm: Here in the press room, everyone's waiting for Gareth Southgate, who like to mess about for a while before talking to the media apparently.

5.30pm: The fans boarding their buses don’t care what the score was. Every one of them from among the thousands in the South Stand has come away with stories of how great it was in there. “It’s the best day of my life,” says one, while another proclaims “It’s the play-off finals times seven.”

5.15pm: The Barrow fans are starting to leave the Riverside, massing outside to sing the praises of their footballing heroes. There will be partying through the night in Barrow this evening.

5pm: It was a glorious effort and the Barrow fans are going nowhere as they applaud each and every one of their players. Boro know they’ve had a game and a great many of the home supporters are staying to clap them from the field.

4.58pm: FULL-TIME: Middlesbrough 2 Barrow AFC 1

4.55pm: Alvez winds his way into the box but Martin stops him once more as he rushes off his line.

4.53pm: Boro are hanging on and it’s Barrow who are pushing for all they are worth.

4.51pm: Seven minutes of stoppage time - they could still do it!

4.50pm: We’re heading for injury time and Alfonso Alvez hits a rasper that rockets off the outside of the post.

4.47pm: Stewart Downing is home free as Boro break. Barrow may as well have waited for the inevitable goal kick though as he goes wide again. Home fans are leaving. How can they?

4.45pm: The atmosphere is buzzing now. Emnes fires wide, but Barrow have really got shot here.

4.44pm: If Wayne Curtis had Alan Martin’s legs it’d be 2-2 by now. A cross is flicked on by Jones and lands at his feet, but the striker just can’t quite reach the ball to stab home.

4.41pm: MIDDLESBROUGH 2 BARROW AFC 1 The crowd’s gone wild! Barrow have scored at Middlesbrough. It’s fairy tale stuff as Steve McNulty heads back a Mark Boyd corner and Jason Walker rises to put it in the back of the net. No-one can really believe this is happening.

4.39pm: Adam Johnson with a shot from five yards out that must surely end up in the back of the net. But no, Alan Martin uses his Go Go Gadget legs and turns it wide for a corner. Man-of-the-match by a country mile.

4.34: This time it’s David Wheater being denied by the heroics of Martin – this man is on a mission, we’ll keep him thank you very much Leeds.

4.33pm: A magnificent flying save at his near post from Alan Martin to deny Marvin Emnes.

4.32pm: Alvez Is denied by a great stop down low from Martin.

4.31pm: Boro shoot wide. But it’s not Downing! It’s Adam Johnson this time.

4.30pm: Shoes off if you love Barrow. Seven thousand Bluebirds are getting very cold feet.

4.30pm: Another shot goes wide for Boro. It should go without saying at this point that it was from Stewart Downing.

4.28pm: Just because their side is getting beat, doesn’t mean the AFC fans are going to stay quiet. Still they cheer on their boys, more so when a Jason Walker effort goes wide.

4.25pm: Time to send for the local boy. Wayne Curtis comes on in place of David Brown. Let’s see if he can have any luck up front.

4.23pm: MIDDLESBROUGH 2 BAROW AFC 0 The second goal arrives as Stewart Downing crosses from the right and ALFONSO ALVES is free in space at the back post to head back across goal and into the bottom corner. This could be the start of the cakewalk unfortunately.

4.23pm: The attendance is given as 25,143. 7,000 of them from Barrow.

4.20pm: Stewart Downing fires wide. No surprise there then.

4.18pm: It would have been easier to score. Adam Johnson puts in a cross to the far post where Alfonso Alvez is a yard out with all the time in the world. But he hits the post! An awful miss, his granny could have scored.

4.15pm: Josh Walker takes a shot from range and Alan Martin has to be alert to turn it round the post for a corner. Robert Huth heads the corner into the back of the net but it’s disallowed after he held down his marker.

4.14pm: Andy Bond on for Mike Pearson.

4.14pm: Pearson is stretchered from the field and is obviously in a lot of pain. He has been surrounded by St John’s Ambulance and first aiders for quite some time. He leaves the pitch to a standing ovation.

4.09pm: these aren’t scenes you want to see at a football match. Mike Pearson goes down in a heap after a tackle from Marvin Emnes and you can tell immediately it’s not good. The players turn away in shock and physios from both sides rush on. The general consensus is that it’s a broken leg. An awful way to end his day.

4.06pm: The second half kicks off.

4.05pm: The players are back out on the field.

3.55pm: The Barrow fans are entertained at half-time by a penalty shootout involving young supporters of both sides. Eight-year-old Louis, from Barrow and Will, from Gleaston slot home with confidence. Barrow boy Dominic also hits the back of the net, as does Sam and Phil, who looks a bit old for this kind of thing!

3.51pm: HALF-TIME

3.50pm: Whatever Stewart Downing had for breakfast, I’m having none of it. He’s through on goal again and this time he’s fired way over the bar. And this guy plays for England?!

3.45pm: Paul Jones pulls out an amazing tackle to dispossess Marvin Emnes as he looks to shoot in the area.

3.43pm: They’ve hit the post! Brad Jones spills the ball under pressure from Steve McNulty and it falls to Mike Pearson, running in from well out. He fires the ball in, it hits a Boro man and deflects off the post for a corner. Paul Jones heads the set-piece wide.

3.41pm: This keeper is truly out of this world. Alves is played in down the right and there’s no-one there to stop him except Martin, who rushes from his line and ticks out his right hand to push away the attempted chip. Glorious work from the keeper.

3.38pm: Stewart Downing obviously forgot to turn on his radar this morning. He flashes another shot wide of goal from 20 yards.

3.36pm: Boro substituition: Emnes for Aliadiare.

3.35pm: Looks like Jeremie Aliadiere is off home early. He met the man mountain that is Steve McNulty and came off distinctly second-best. They’ve sent for the stretcher.

3.33pm It’s like Under Siege 3 out there, with the Barrow defence doing their best Steven Seagal impressions. Shots are raining in at an alarming rate and it’s a mystery how the home side only have one. Stewart Downing could have had 10 all by himself.

3.29pm: A superb passing move ends with the all at the feet of Stewart Downing, but his shot across the face of goal is brilliantly stopped by the legs of Alan Martin.

3.28pm: Alvez is almost in again, but Mike Pearson stands firm to block his shot from the corner of the area.

3.24pm: MIDDLESBROUGH 1 BARROW AFC 0 The pressure finally tells as Alfonso Alves is played through by Stewart Downing. The Barrow defence stands still looking for offside and the Brazilian slots past Alan Martin.

3.23pm: It’s all Boro now and Barrow are struggling to hold on. Downing has another shot saved by Martin.

3.21pm: Adam Johnson is played through down the right by Stewart Downing. He’s all alone and Alan Martin has to come of his line to force him wide. Johnson goes round but his shot is brilliantly blocked by Mike Pearson.

3.19pm: Tony McMahon is given space to shoot and has a go at the near post, where Alan Martin is again in the way to block well.

3.17pm: Josh Walker breaks into space and has a shot that is well saved by Alan Martin – never a bad work to be spoken about Scottish keepers again.

3.15pm: A superb ball down the right from Mark Boyd picks out Matt Henney running into the area. E wins the ball against German international Robert Huth – quite a boast for him there – and he lays the ball back to Jason Walker in acres of space. Alas, he can’t compose himself and fires well wide.

3.13pm: Chants of ‘Stand Up If You Love Barrow’ but no shoes off yet.

3.09pm: Mark Boyd trips Stewart Downing and gets a booking for his efforts.

3.05pm: The first chance of the match as Stewart Downing fires wide for Boro.

3.03pm: A cheeky little dummy from Steve McNulty is greeted with huge cheers from the travelling band, who are all having great day out already.

3pm: Kick-off.

2.59pm: Every name from the AFC line-up is greeted with huge cheers and the Bluebirds fans then try to drown out the home support with their boos as the Boro names are announced.

2.58pm: The ovation as the players walk out onto the pitch is deafening, with every single supporter on their feet to welcome the sides. Barrow run towards their supporters after the traditional pre-match handshakes.

2.55pm: With only minutes to go before kick-off, the Barrow fans have already packed out their end of the stadium. They’re making all the noise as they chant ‘Who are you?’ at the Boro supporters – many of whom are surrounded by empty seats.

2.50pm: Barrow AFC: Martin, Pearson, Logan, Jones, McNulty, Henney, Boyd, Joyce, P Brown, Walker, D Brown. Subs: Deasy, Bond, Rogan, Tait, Sheridan, Bayliss, Curtis.

2.50pm: Middlesbrough: Jones, Pogatetz, Digard, Aliadiere, Alves, Huth, Downing, Johnson, McMahon, Wheater, Josh Walker. Subs: Turnbull, Taylor, Mido, Emnes, Tuncay, Bates.

2.45pm: The teams have been announced and Barrow line up much as expected. Matt Henney returns from his lower back injury, while new signing Wayne Curtis is on the bench.

2pm: Wayne Curtis joins his new team-mates on the Riverside turf for the pre-match warm-up. Sam Delaney, on Five Live, described him this morning as “a beast of a man – a big ugly fella.” Nice of him.
1pm: AFC fans are arriving in earnest at the Riverside now. Supporters are having their pictures taken in front of the gates to the ground and with statues of Boro greats such as Wilf Mannion.
12pm: The roads all the way to Middlesbrough are filled with AFC fans, ribbons blowing in the wind and flags fixed to coach windows. Signs along the roadside say ‘Good Luck Barrow’.
10am: The first hitch on the day as the Independent Supporters Club coach breaks down on the A590. Two new buses are sent for to make sure the group get to the game on time.
9am: Thousands of Barrow fans mass on Phoenix Road to board the coaches heading to Middlesbrough. There is a lot of optimism in the air, with supporters hopeful new signing Wayne Curtis can net for his hometown club.
8.30am: Barrow AFC chairman Brian Keen is in confident mood as he speaks to the nation on BBC Radio Five Live. “We ready for them and I think they’re frightened to death,” he says. “We are in for a fairy tale and we are going to make history.”
Friday Night: Barrow find themselves in the same hotel as Premier League Stoke City in Darlington. Stoke are playing Hartlepool – Matt Henney says the City boys are ‘starstruck.’

First published at 14:00, Saturday, 03 January 2009
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk