AT the fifth time of asking, Barrow AFC produced their first 2019 goal. Sadly, though, there was no first victory of the year for Ian Evatt’s men.

And, in all honesty, you could never see a Barrow win coming as the visitors looked the better side once they had pulled level.

Angus headed just over the bar in the first early skirmish and then his first reward in Barrow colours came after a quarter of an hour.

He won a challenge with Marc-Anthony Okoye but the ball went across the net to hit the far post and when Jack Barthram put the ball back in the goalmouth, this time Angus put the rebound home.

It was a good start for a Barrow team showing three changes to the line-up which collected a point at Chesterfield.

It was nearly even better when a Dan Jones free kick 25 yards out bounced off the bar and John Rooney put the rebound wide.

Fortunately for Barrow, Okoye put a header straight into the arms of home keeper Joel Dixon but the signs were there that the visitors were taking control.

In the early moments of the second half, Jacob Blyth laid a great ball back to Angus but his strike partner fired yards wide.

When a long ball dropped into the Barrow area, George Porter volleyed as it dropped and his effort went just wide of the far post.

Then in the 53rd minute came the visitors’ equaliser, when JJ Hooper flicked he ball across the face of the home net. Dixon got a left hand to it but could not parry it away and the assistant judged the ball to have crossed the goal-line.

Barrow seemed incapable of putting the ball into good areas while Bromley began to look more menacing with the introduction of Dennon Lewis and the threatening runs of Hooper.

Dixon had to boot clear when the ball was played downfield and it did not help when Jones sliced a clearance to put the home goal under more pressure.

The elements were certainly helping the visitors. With a quarter of an hour to go Barrow hopes rose as visiting keeper David Gregory dropped a corner but he quickly recovered.

Rooney shot across the face of the net and then, at last, a Barrow move looked promising but Josh Kay’s shot lacked power.

Inevitably, it was Bromley who were putting on the pressure at the end and Dixon was kept busy collecting shots or moving out of his area to clear.

If only he had been able to get a bit more power behind his effort to parry Hooper’s effort just before the hour mark. Then it might have been a totally different story.

Barrow AFC: Joel Dixon, Sam Hird, Matt Elsden, Dan Jones, Jack Barthram, Jason Taylor, Connor Brown, John Rooney (Lewis Hardcastle, 84), Jack Hindle (Josh Kay, 69), Jacob Blyth, Dior Angus.

Subs not used: Sam Stephens, Christian Sloan, Steve Jennings.

Bromley: David Gregory, Frankie Sutherland, Jack Holland, Brendan Sarpong-Wiredu (58 Dennon Lewis), Frankie Raymond, Marc-Anthony Okoye, George Porter (Jamie Philpot, 80), Sam Wood, Richard Brindley, Luke Coulson, (Omar Bugiel, 66), JJ Hooper.

Subs not used: Jordan Higgs, Jake Goodman.

Referee: Will Finnie (Luton).

Yellow cards: Barrow AFC – Matt Elsden (28), Sam Hird (77); Bromley – Frankie Raymond (12), Frankie Sutherland (51).

Attendance: 1,130 (45 away).