WHEN: Christmas 1976

WHERE: Craven Park

BARROW and Rochdale are no strangers to the the job facing them at Craven Park tomorrow – battling it out for the big prize of a promotion place.

But it was 40 years ago! The names have changed – Bramley, Huyton and Blackpool Borough have gone – and the format for promotion has been altered many times since those days of 1976 when Johnny Mathis (When a Child is Born) topped the charts.

The Barrow line-up that included the Hogan brothers Phil and Steve, Colin Tyrer, Eddie Szymala, Frank Jones and a whole host of crowd favourites were sweeping all before them in Division Two when the Hornets came to town for the Christmas fixture.

Only the New Zealand tourists had left the ground with a victory under their belts – they won 24-0 eight weeks earlier – so Barrow were defending an unbeaten home record.

Halifax, Leigh and Hull were already among their victims, but the Hornets offered the stiffest test yet to the home side.

And they came so close to ending Barrow’s remarkable run.

Hornets led 5-2 when the game took a turn that may have had something to do with “the Walney wind.” Colin Tyer sent up a high kick that caught the wind and fooled Hornets’ full-back Chris Storey.

The ball bounced off the post and Tyrer, following up, raced in to touch down. He added the goal and Barrow were 7-5 in front.

But Rochdale were not finished – a Storey penalty levelled things up nine minutes from the end and that is how it finished, Barrow’s record still intact, relief for the 2,943 crowd, but Hornets well worth their point.

The teams did not meet again until the last day of the season and Barrow were already champions of Division Two.

But it was no end-of-season picnic with Rochdale needing a win to pip Workington Town for second place and Barrow smarting from a heavy defeat at Hull the previous week.

Barrow, with their pack tackling as though their lives depended on it, kept the Hornets try-less and it needed four penalties and a drop goal to give Rochdale the win their needed.

The game’s only try came from Phil Hogan, with Tyrer adding the goal to bring the final score to 9-5.

It was only the third defeat in the 26-game League season, Blackpool (11-3) and Hull (46-15) were the other entries in the lost column.