BARROW AFC 1 (Hughes 39pen, Diarra 57) DAGENHAM AND REDBRIDGE 1 (Whitely 11)
Jekyll and Hyde had nothing on the Bluebirds, who followed up a dire showing at Eastleigh with a top-drawer display to complete the double over high-flying Dagenham and Redbridge.
Once again, Barrow saved their best for another of the league’s top sides, Moussa Diarra adding to his colossal defensive displays with a deserved winner early in the second half.
Added to Liam Hughes’s first-half penalty after Richie Bennett had been felled in the area, it was a high-quality comeback to keep them right in the hunt for the last play-off place.
“No-one likes us, no-one wants us around,” manager Paul Cox said afterwards. Dagenham will certainly fall into that camp after two losses to the Bluebirds this season.
Yet there they still are. Right in the thick of the promotion picture, four points off the play-offs, just six behind the Daggers. Barrow are still alive and whenever you think they have been killed off, they come back even stronger.
That has been the tale of 2017 in general for a club still without back-to-back wins in the National League. It was the story on Saturday afternoon too, as an early Dagenham goal could have spelled the start of another horrible day, but instead sparked a real fightback and another result of which all the contenders will take note.
Barrow set up with four men brought into the team who missed the defeat at Eastleigh last weekend, Lindon Meikle a wing menace throughout, Richie Bennett and Hughes returning from suspensions and Danny Livesey in his solid defensive partnership with Moussa Diarra once more.
The attacking link-up play between Bennett and Meikle was on display early on, as they set up Alex-Ray Harvey for a shot which was deflected wide for a corner. Paul Turnbull delivered to the far post and Bennett ran in unmarked, but headed wide when he should have done better.
It was a positive start, yet the optimism was blown away on 11 minutes as Corey Whitely swung in a corner from the left that evaded everyone and flew over Jon Flatt into the far top corner of the goal. From nowhere, the Daggers led 1-0.
And yet, they chose to try and defend that lead, often sitting with nine or 10 men behind the ball and trying to attack only on the break. Other teams have come to Holker Street of late – Torquay and Sutton at the top of the list – and done this well, holding out and not conceding.
But Barrow always like to have a go at the bigger teams, and this was just an invitation.
Nick Anderton made a crucial defensive challenge to take the ball from danger-man Oliver Hawkins and prevent a rare moment of Dagenham danger, while Hughes blazed over the Crossbar at the other end.
After a lot of pressure, it looked like the equaliser had come as Hughes headed the ball down to Turnbull in space on the edge of the six-yard box. The midfielder picked his spot, kept an eye on keeper Elliot Justham and slid it past him, but did not see Scott Doe coming in, and it was the defender’s trailing leg which the ball hit, to stop it settling in the net.
Whitely whipped a shot past the far post as he looked to repeat his goal when a corner was returned to him, while Bennett showed great control to take down an Anderton clearance and cross into the area, but it was just in front of Shaun Tuton.
AFC kept pushing and pushing and the Daggers’ resolve was broken as Meikle attacked down the left and played the ball to Bennett in the area. Craig Robson sensed the danger and took out his man from behind, leaving referee Tom Bramall with an easy decision to award a penalty.
Hughes took the ball and fired hard and low, beating Justham to his right and bringing the scores level.
The hosts remained on the attack for the remainder of the first half and into the second, with Diarra heading wide from an Anderton cross and Hughes ballooning a 30-yarder well off target.
There was the sense a goal was coming and it arrived as Turnbull delivered a free-kick from the left into the area and onto the head of Hughes. He directed the ball to the left of goal and to Livesey, who reached it and turned it back across the face to the far post, where Diarra was waiting to stretch out and hammer in his second of the season to huge cheers from the home support.
Hughes soon fired through a crowd but straight at Justham and a Meikle cross put the keeper under pressure as Diarra closed, but he gathered it at the second attempt.
A third goal was needed to settle the nerves, but it would not come and Anderton had to be alert to head away a dangerous cross with 13 minutes to go, taking a blow to the head for his troubles.
An Anderton cross saw Hughes head straight at Justham and Harvey hit a stinger from 25 yards that the keeper parried but eventually pounced on.
As the game neared its climax the tension grew, not helped as Robson’s 20-yard shot deflected off Livesey in the area and went just wide with Flatt stranded.
Five minutes of stoppage time were signalled to add to the drama, though it could have been over when sub Inih Effiong controlled and fed to the feet of Turnbull in the area, only for his low effort towards the near post to be blocked by Justham’s feet.
The Daggers started throwing caution to the wind and it took a superb reaction save from Flatt to deny Jake Sheppard in the second minute of stoppage time, as he headed into the ground at the far post from a corner and the AFC man stuck out an arm to stop it as it bounced towards the roof of the net.
More drama came two minutes later as Robson met a cross in the box, but defensive pressure saw him head over. The clock ticked towards 98 minutes before Mr Bramall blew his whistle to the relief of the crowd.
There was still time for some minor scuffles as the players left the field – Daggers boss John Still and AFC’s Tuton in the thick of it. Tuton and substitute Harry Panayiotou were booked, along with at least two Daggers.
Dagenham were obviously unhappy. No wonder no-one likes Barrow when they keep producing results like this.
Barrow AFC: Jon Flatt 7, Shaun Beeley 8, Nick Anderton 8, Danny Livesey 8, Moussa Diarra 9, Liam Hughes 8 (Jack Thomas 90), Alex-Ray Harvey 8, Paul Turnbull 7, Shaun Tuton 7 (Akil Wright 90), Richie Bennett 7 (Inih Effiong 87), Lindon Meikle 8.
Substitutes Not Used: Harry Panayiotou, Matty Platt.
Barrow starman: Moussa Diarra.
Yellow Cards: Beeley (47).
Dagenham and Redbridge: Elliot Justham, Joe Widdowson, Scott Doe, Craig Robson, Fejiri Okenabirhie (Josh Staunton 79), Oliver Hawkins, Jordan Maguire-Drew (Elliott Romain 61), Andre Boucard, Corey Whitely, Shaun Donnellan, Jake Sheppard.
Substitutes Not Used: Mark Cousins, Frankie Raymond, Paul Benson.
Yellow Cards: Staunton (85).
Referee: Tom Bramall (Sheffield).
Attendance: 1,102 (59 from Dagenham).
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here