Barrow AFC beat 2nd Division Brentford 2-1 last night to progress to the third round of the FA Cup and a possible tie with a Premiership club. Congratulations to Barrow AFC, their supporters and everyone connected with the club.
Just one year ago Barrow were three from bottom of the Blue Square North league, but since that low point have had a fantastic run under two new managers Darren Sheridan and Dave Bayliss. Having won promotion to the Blue Square Premier League in the play-offs Barrow AFC have now put themselves in with a shout of playing Liverpool, Manchester United or Chelsea (or Macclesfield) in the third round.
Barrows’ ambitions this season lie firmly in survival in a league where the majority of teams field full time players. The part timers of Barrow AFC, although 17th in the table are coping well, in part due to the ability of the managers to bring in players on loan from bigger clubs.
Hopefully, the cash generated from last nights win (£80,000 from Setanta for TV rights and another £30,000 for winning the tie) will serve as a platform for Barrow to consolidate and progress. A third round tie with a glamour club would help even more, let’s hope it’s one of the big 4 away.
If you’d like to follow the teams progress, I recommend that you head over to Barrow AFC Unofficial Forum for all you need to know.