Last updated at 10:25, Thursday, 06 September 2012

FORMER Barrow AFC captain Phil Bolland once described Adam Boyes and Andy Cook as being so close they were like a married couple.

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Following a divorce-of-sorts this summer, when Cook quit the Bluebirds for Grimsby Town, the two strikers were reunited, albeit on opposite sides, at Holker Street last night.

It was billed as a shoot-out between the 21-year-old pals, who plundered 40 goals in Barrow colours between them last season.

As it turned out it was Cook’s replacement – Grimsby substitute Anthony Elding – a recent target for Preston North End – who stole the headlines with a dramatic double.

Elding was introduced from the bench on 62 minutes to replace Cook, who had spent most of the game in the pocket of Barrow defender and former Carlisle United team-mate Tom Aldred.

At the time the hosts led 2-0 courtesy of a soft Richie Baker penalty and Joe Jackson’s first goal of the season. AFC looked on course to record a much-craved first win of the season at the seventh attempt.

The 30-year-old Elding, however, had other ideas and netted twice, his second being a controversially-awarded penalty-kick with just six minutes left on the clock.

It was slightly harsh on Barrow, and especially on their two young on-loan centre-halves, Aldred and Tom Anderson, who were outstanding, but, in the end, it was a fair result.

An improved crowd of just under 1,000 watched an entertaining encounter, with the home supporters applauding their players from the pitch at the end.

Bluebirds boss Dave Bayliss had named an unchanged starting XI, while Grimsby joint-managers Rob Scott and Paul Hurst made one enforced swap, handing 18-year-old striker Dayle Southwell a first start for the Mariners, in place of the injured Greg Pearson.

Baker wasted an early free-kick by curling it high over the bar. Moments later, Cook looked a good bet to open his Grimsby account but was adjudged to be offside. Then, on nine minutes, Boyes was well off-target with a 16-yard header following a Garry Hunter free-kick.

The game reached the quarter-hour mark with an up-tempo Barrow in the ascendancy and when Hunter crossed from the byline, left-winger Danny Rowe was crowded out by two Grimsby defenders at the near post. Midfielder Baker then tried his luck from 35 yards but saw his drive go well wide.

Clear-cut chances, however, were few and far between, not just for Barrow, but for the visitors too.

The only other opportunity of note in the opening 35 minutes fell to Southwell, whose 16-yard snap-shot flew over the bar, with Barrow keeper Danny Hurst, like his counterpart at the other end of the pitch, former Bluebirds triallist, James McKeown, remaining untested.

The game then came to life on 41 minutes when the experienced Hurst raced off his line to make a brave stop at the feet of Grimsby captain Craig Disley.

Moments later, McKeown flung himself to his right and made a spectacular one-handed save to keep out a thunderous Baker shot that looked certain to end up in the back of the net.

Baker was not, however, to be denied a second time by McKeown when, in first-half stoppage-time, Barrow were awarded a soft penalty.

It was Paul Rutherford who earned the spot-kick, getting his body in front of that of Frankie Artus, whose clumsy challenge from behind sent the right winger to the turf.

Grimsby, who were down to 10 men at the time as centre-half Shaun Pearson received treatment on the sidelines, argued against referee Ross Joyce’s decision to award a penalty, but Baker already had the ball under his arm and was heading towards the spot.

The 24-year-old then calmly stepped up and slotted the ball into the corner of the net, sending McKeown the wrong way and bagging his second goal in two games.
Grimsby flew out of the blocks at the start of the second half and came within inches of equalising on 49 minutes when on-loan Fleetwood centre-half Nathan Pond, who found acres of space at the back post following a corner-kick delivered from the left, rattled the top of the post with a powerful 12-yard strike.

Just five minutes later the Bluebirds had another major let-off. Again it came from a corner from the left, with an unmarked Shaun Pearson this time volleying goalwards. His near-post effort beat Hurst, but not Rutherford, who cleared off the line. Grimsby claimed the Barrow player handled the ball in doing so, but referee Joyce waved away the visiting team’s protests.

Having twice rode their luck, the Bluebirds then snatched a second goal on the break. It was created down the left by Rowe, who ran at pace before pulling the ball back to Jackson.

The Barrow-born-and-bred teenager kept a cool head from eight yards out to neatly slip the ball past McKeown.

Cook was replaced shortly after by Elding, who on 67 minutes, after Hurst had made an excellent one-handed save to deny Joe Colbeck, followed up to tap-in from less than a yard out.

Jackson then almost restored the home side’s two-goal advantage but his shot was turned round the post by McKeown.

Grimsby pushed on again in search of an equaliser and twice went close before Colbeck went down under a challenge of minimal contact from Mike Pearson.

Elding strode up and dispatched the spot-kick into the top corner to earn his side a share of the spoils and deny Barrow that crucial first win of 2012/13.

First published at 12:16, Wednesday, 05 September 2012
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk