WOW, what a performance!

To hold the odds-on Betfred Championship favourites, the superstars of Toronto Wolfpack, to just two tries and earn a precious point in an 8-8 draw is an outstanding achievement.

Every single Barrow player gave their all, and you can’t ask for more than that.

They were superb in defence, withstanding long periods of pressure from the Wolfpack on the Craven Park gluepot.

I went to the match fearing the worst, but came away with a rare smile, proud of my hometown team, who clearly demonstrated they have the mental and physical strength to compete in this tough league.

Paul Rowley, the Toronto coach, was complimentary of Barrow in his post-match interview, and made reference to the second-half performance where Raiders completed their sets without a single mistake and started to gain the ascendancy.

At eight points-all with only 10 minutes remaining, all thoughts were on a drop-goal attempt from either side, and it was Barrow through Jamie Dallimore who had the only attempt, unfortunately charged down by Toronto’s man-of-the-match Richard Whiting. If only Jamie had given himself some more space.

Rowley thought the game might have been cancelled, such were the conditions; Yes it was muddy and sticky, but it’s a game of British rugby league for goodness sake.

Toronto play on an artificial surface, just like London Broncos in their defeat of Barrow, so are not used to mud. Personally, I wouldn’t allow artificial pitches into football or rugby league, and I think the RFL should say “No more”.

Tomorrow it’s the visit of the Leigh Centurions millionaires. Joint-favourites with Toronto to get promoted to Super League, they arrive at Craven Park on the back of a surprise 34-12 opening-day defeat by the Wolfpack and an impressive 34-6 victory against Batley Bulldogs.

Leigh have more than 20 new recruits this season, including top-notch players such as Peter Mata’utia, Kevin Larroyer, Larne Patrick, Jordan Thompson, Rhys Evans, Greg Richards and Kurt Baptiste.

Understandably, head coach Neil Jukes is under some pressure to get Leigh back to Super League, and chairman Derek Beaumont – the man with the money – has not been happy with some of the negative comments by a minority of Leigh fans on social media.

“I find it very insulting, some of the things I read about myself, especially when they experience the sacrifices that we make, not only in money but in time for the good of the club and it really does make me feel like walking away from it,” he said.

Jukes has the full support of the chairman and a wealth of coaching experience around him, including Keiron Cunningham, Paul Anderson and Kieron Purtill. He realises only a convincing victory tomorrow will satisfy the critics.

He also realises that Barrow haven’t been beaten at home since 2016, but six months ago Leigh and Barrow were two divisions apart.

Conditions are going to be similar to last week, so we must play the same game. Nice and tight, no frills and hunting the mistake in the mud.

The longer we keep the score close, the more the pressure will build and they will get frustrated, just like Toronto.

The only disappointment for me last week was the attendance. I know the weather wasn’t great, but 1,266 against a Toronto team full of stars in our first Championship game for four years was disappointing.

Leigh will bring a few hundred, so let’s hope Barrow can attract the support they deserve and break the 2,000-mark.

See you tomorrow.