BARROW AFC 0 FC HALIFAX TOWN 0
A first point of the National League season is more than welcome, but the Bluebirds will feel they should have had three after carving numerous openings but failing to take advantage.
Barrow looked better from the outset than they had in the first half on Saturday, pushing forward, looking for openings and seeing Jack Barthram miscue a volley from 20 yards that was well over the bar.
Asa Hall was the next to have a go from distance as the ball fell to him more than 25 yards out and he let rip with a rocket that flew just above the goal, with Sam Johnson beaten.
A half-cleared ball came to Bedsente Gomis soon after, whose header down went to the feet of Adi Yussuf on the 18-yard line, from where he turned and shot, but saw his effort deflected behind for a corner.
Gomis had a penalty shout turned down as he felt he was pulled to the ground in the Halifax area, and all the chances and pressure were coming from the home side.
A fine, flowing, passing move involving Yussuf and Dan Jones saw the latter feed the former on the edge of the area, but just as he was about the shoot, Martin Riley brought him down. Riley was booked and then brought off injured for his troubles, while Jordan White’s free-kick went over both wall and goal.
The chances kept on coming and Harvey put in a good cross to the far post, where Barthram lurked unmarked, only to take his eye off the ball and lack power and direction.
Referee Simon Lucas was letting more and more go from the physical visitors and it took the intervention of the fourth official for Tom Denton to be booked after he caught Moussa in the air. Such was the confusion, Halifax had been ready to take a free-kick, only to find they had conceded one – which Mr Lucas had not blown for.
After all the AFC pressure, it was the visitors who went closest to a goal when a quick break ended with Connor Oliver shooting from 25 yards in the right channel and hitting the top of the bar.
That was the only moment the Shaymen had in the entire half, and it was Barrow who continued to create opportunities.
Jimmy Dunne headed a corner low into the hands of Johnson, Harvey picked out Barthram again, but he sliced wide, and Diarra headed a cross down to the feet of Yussuf in the area, whose shot was powerful and on target, but was blocked by the dive of Johnson to his left.
The half ended with a third Halifax booking, as Bohan Dixon slid in with an awful late challenge on Harvey, summing up their physical approach which somehow had kept them level against the odds at the break.
It was more Barrow pushing and attempted counter-attacks from the West Yorkshire side again after the break, with Oliver off-target with a snap shot from 18 yards at the Holker Street End.
Halifax started to get on top, and should have gone in front when Dion Charles was played through one-on-one with Stuart Moore, and rounded the keeper well, only to pass his effort to the scrambling figure of Barthram, who cleared off the line.
Having played the ball around a little and showed some neat touches before the break, Barrow were now relying too often on Dan Jones’ long throws being launched into the area to create chances, but the visitors had cottoned on and were rarely threatened.
Much as he had at Dagenham, Dan Cockerline came on and made an impact, almost scoring with his first touch as the ball found him inside the area, and he controlled and snapped off a shot that Johnson got on top of to block.
Liam Hughes was another substitute looking to make his mark as his 18-yard free-kick from the left corner of the area was parried over the bar by Johnson with both hands as it headed for the top corner.
Cockerline was the provider on a Barrow break as he tried to find Hall on the edge of the area, but his ball was too far in front of the captain, and he dragged wide as he stretched to shoot.
There seemed little chance of the deadlock being broken, and so it proved up until the final whistle.
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