BARROW AFC 1 (Diarra 56) MAIDENHEAD UNITED 1 (Clifton 28)
Plenty of it will be positive, some of it will be negative, all of it will go towards his shaping of a side he was thrust into the management of just days ago.
The returns of Byron Harrison and Adi Yussuf from injury are the most obvious plus-points – both came off the bench in the second half – but so too the response of the team to be going in 1-0 at half-time and taking on board their new boss’s words after the break.
Moore set Barrow up with the same 11 who started against Dover a week ago for Paul Cox’s final game in charge, but the style of play early on suggested changes were afoot.
The ball was kept on the ground more and played about – though this changed in the final 20 minutes of the first half after Barrow fell behind and looked in danger of falling apart.
That is the area where Moore has highlighted the need for improvement, but the second-half showing – when Moussa Diarra popped up with the goal and there could easily have been a winner, gave little cause for concern and great cause for optimism.
Maidenhead are no mugs – as demonstrated by their record of only one defeat coming into this game – and provided a valid test for the interim boss’s opener.
The threat from the visitors was apparent within 15 seconds, as a move down the left ended with James Mulley lifting the ball over the bar from inside the area when he should have tested Stuart Moore in the AFC goal.
Right down the other end, a Dan Jones throw into the area caused Maidenhead to panic, and the ball came to the feet of Moussa Diarra, who controlled well and got off a shot that just cleared the top of the goal.
Then a break from Maidenhead and Jake Hyde tested Moore with a 20-yard shot the home keeper got down to stop on his right.
It was frantic, with Hyde and Harry Panayiotou both played into good positions and seeing efforts go wide – the latter thanks to a superb block – and the offside flag go up.
Panayiotou was in position to threaten again when he used his guile to break on the left, but Jake Goodman brought him down, picking up a yellow card for his troubles.
The free-kick resulted in Liam Hughes having a header deflected wide of the near post, with the following short-corner routine ending with Hughes shooting over the top of the crossbar.
Things were looking good as Barrow were playing the ball around and creating chances – a Jones corner tipped onto the bar by Carl Pentney – while standing strong in defence – Diarra putting in a fine block to deny Hyde.
The pattern of the first half changed with the goal, created as Samuel Barratt went round Thierry Audel and delivered a cross to the far post, perfectly onto the feet of Adrian Clifton, who poked home and gave Moore no chance.
Another Dan Jones free-kick did see Pentney punch the ball onto the head of a Barrow man and bounce wide, but it mainly became Magpies attacks.
Barratt was the main threat, with some superb wing play, often beating both Hughes and Audel and getting in position to put in crosses.
One of those opportunities found Mulley at the far post, and he rose to head superbly towards the top of the goal, only for Moore to deny him with a great save to tip it over the bar.
There was the chance for an equaliser right on the brink of half-time, as Barrow showed more of the play that had been prevalent earlier on.
This time, Panayiotou controlled a long ball forward and held up play before picking out Bradley Bauress, whose cross to the far post was headed back over Pentney by White and in the direction of Panayiotou at the far post.
Alas, it was just that little too far in front of him and he could not stretch to direct it goalward.
Barrow had renewed impetus in the second half, with Jack Barthram on for Audel after an earlier clash of heads left him unable to continue.
White hit a scuffed effort from 20 yards that Pentney saved easily, and then both White and Panayiotou were in dangerous areas as Bauress played them through, but the flag went up just as White’s effort was blocked by the keeper.
Both number ones were required to make saves in the space of a few minutes, first as Barratt’s header towards the top corner was plucked from the air by Moore, then Pentney took a White header with both hands at the other end.
Adi Yussuf returned from his hamstring injury to add another aspect of the attack, soon to be joined by Byron Harrison for his first appearance of the season following ankle surgery – welcomed by a great ovation from the home crowd.
Yussuf’s trickery led to a chance for Hughes, who rattled the bar with a rasper from 18 yards that went straight up and came back down again, with White adjudged to have had the final touch as the ball bounced wide.
Yussuf’s skills created a chance for himself as he turned Alan Massey and shot into the side netting, before Diarra headed a Jones cross wide and Harrison did likewise deep into injury time.
If anyone was going to score a winner, the odds were on it being Barrow, and yet the visitors went oh so close at the very death to stealing the three points for themselves.
Alex-Ray Harvey took the legs out from under Ryan Upward 20 yards out, and Christian Smith stepped up to strike the ball up and over the wall and towards the top corner.
It would have been a goal all ends up, had it not been for Moore flinging himself across and pushing the ball away with his best save of the day.
Micky Moore will have much to be happy about from these 90 minutes, performances to build on and points to take forward as he settles into his new role.
Barrow AFC (4-4-2): Stuart Moore, Thierry Audel (Jack Barthram h/t), Dan Jones, Moussa Diarra, Dave Nieskens, Liam Hughes, Alex-Ray Harvey, Bedsente Gomis, Jordan White (Byron Harrison 75), Harry Panayiotou (Adi Yussuf 66), Bradley Bauress. Substitutes Not Used: Asa Hall, Donovan Makoma.
Maidenhead United (4-4-1-1): Carl Pentney, Maximilian Kilman, Ryan Peters, Alan Massey, Jake Goodman, Christian Smith, James Mulley, Samuel Barratt (Chinedu McKenzie 88), Harold Odametey, Adrian Clifton (Ryan Upward 84), Jake Hyde (Sean Marks 42). Substitutes Not Used: Dean Inman, James Conley.
Yellow Cards: Goodman (21).
Referee: Andrew Miller.
Attendance: 1,154 (46 from Maidenhead).
Commanding once more in defence, with some superb aerial and ground tackles. Growing and growing with every game – though not height-wise, he’s already a giant.
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