Barrow 0
Stevenage 0

Ten-man Barrow collected a vital point towards protecting their Football League status but blew a fuse over a second-half flashpoint.

Mark Cooper’s side was dominating a game delayed by 90 minutes due to an electrical fault at the ground.

But Aaron Amadi-Holloway’s contentious 55th-minute red card put a brake on the Bluebirds’ momentum in their search for just a fourth home league win of the season and a first in 2022.

Both teams eventually finished with 10 but Luke Prosser’s red card in the second minute of stoppage time came too late to boost Barrow’s victory chances.

Despite the draw, the Bluebirds dropped to 20th, five points above second bottom Oldham whose resurgence under John Sheridan continued with a well-fought 3-3 draw at Newport.

Before on-loan striker Amadi-Holloway’s dismissal in front of another 3,000-plus attendance at the Dunes Hotel Stadium, Barrow twice hit the woodwork in search of a first ever home win over their Stevenage visitors.

The Bluebirds made three changes to the team that started the midweek 3-1 defeat at Hartlepool with recalls for Jamie Jones, Tom White and Robbie Gotts.

Stevenage included defender Michael Bostwick in their starting line-up, 12 years after he was on the losing side against the Cumbrians at Wembley in 2010.

The visitors, 1-0 winners in the reverse fixture on the opening day of the season, were also boosted by top scorer Luke Norris’s return after injury.

It was Bostwick who conceded the game’s first corner after two minutes though Anthony Glennon’s delivery was a poor one.

A second corner – one of seven awarded to the Bluebirds in the opening period – soon followed with AFC players appealing to referee Darren Handley in vain for a penalty.

Despite dominating early possession, Barrow would have fallen behind but for a superb save by Paul Farman to deny Scott Cuthbert.

Farman stopped another effort by Chris Lines before Barrow eventually gave the fans something to cheer after 22 minutes as leading marksman Ollie Banks let fly with a stinging shot that Christy Pym did well to turn away.

Bailey Clements’ challenge on Gotts brought more home shouts for a spot kick but only a fifth corner resulted.

Rooney was the next player to try his luck but couldn’t quite find the accuracy as home pressure mounted.

Stevenage, though, still possessed a threat and when Norris dinked the ball goal wards, Patrick Brough came to the rescue with a goal-line clearance.

Barrow’s own luck was out moments later as Amadi-Holloway’s effort struck the woodwork.

The crossbar next came to Stevenage’s rescue as Rooney almost netted direct from a corner.

Barrow picked up in the second where they left off in the first. But the dynamic changed when Amadi-Holloway was red-carded for a foul on Lines.

Mansfield proved last month such a dismissal needn’t prove costly, claiming a 3-1 win at Holker Street despite defender Ferrand Rawson’s 39th minute red card.

The sense of injustice heightened when Prosser was only yellow carded for bringing down Gotts.

Despite the one-man deficit, Barrow still probed for a winner and substitute Luke James was denied by Pym four minutes from time.