63: McGill replaced Henney
90: Rogan replaced Walker (injured)
GOAL: Walker (87)
Kidderminster: Bartlett, Ferrell, Creighton, Knights, Barnes-Homer, Penn, Richards, Armstrong, Riley, Bennett, Lowe
52: Brittain replaced Penn (injured)
76: McDermott replaced Knights
Booked: Bennett (24, foul on Henney)
A large crowd of 1,537, including a good number of Kidderminster supporters with large flags, saw an enthralling match. Kidderminster had most possession in the first half but were soundly thwarted by an excellent solid team performance from Barrow. In the second half, Barrow threatened more and in the end gained the rich rewards of 3 points through a superb full-stretch header by Jason Walker.
Barrow kicked off towards the Crossbar end and Martin was tested within 2 minutes by a shot from Kidderminster's Dean Bennett.
In the 8th minute, Curtis shot wide from a Boyd lob down field and in the 19th minute Henney went on a fine run to goal but was thwarted by Bartlett.
Kidderminster mounted a series of attacks but Barrow defended well, allowing occasional counter-attacks. In the 37th minute Walker was held back and Boyd awarded a free kick. A Brown assist found Walker who shot wide.
Kidderminster's best chance came in the 39th minute. Lowe crossed to Knights whose header went up onto the crossbar.
However, Barrow continued to plug away, a clearance from a good Logan cross winning a Boyd corner in the 41st minute. This and a further Kidderminster corner came to nothing and the half-time score remained 0-0.
Although the visitors had the most possession, they had only seriously threatened the Barrow goal on a couple of occasions. There was still hope that we could gwt something out of the game!
We started the second half well, pushing forward and threatening the Kidderminster goal. In the 50th minute, Kidderminster's Russell Penn was injured in the penalty area and required lengthy attention. He was stretchered off to applause from all the crowd.
In the 61st minute a Sharry cross found Walker who shot just past the left-hand post with only the goalie to beat. Three minutes later, a 25 yard Boyd free kick was saved by Bartlett. A great ball into the penalty area by new substitute McGill in the 66th minute could have resulted in a goal had Brown or Curtis been able to make contact in time.
The visitors continued to threaten on the break, Bennett shooting across Barrow's goal and past the post in the 72nd minute. A Ferrell lob in the 84th minute was comfortably caught by Martin.
With time and the Kidderminster threats running out, the home support sensed the win could be on the cards. Barrow, spurred on by an increase in singing volume from the crowd, pulled out the extra stops. In the 86th minute after a Boyd corner, an excellent Nat Kerr shot from the edge of the penalty area was tipped over the bar by Bartlett. The next Boyd corner finally paid dividends, a superb McGill cross and Boyd pass found Jason Walker whose full-stretch headed lob descended into the right-hand corner of the net as the scorer fell awkwardly flat on his back. The crowd went wild and Jason Walker lay motionless in the penalty area, seemingly not knowing what he'd just achieved.
Three minutes of attention saw Walker leave the field to an ovation, Rogan taking his place as 8 minutes of nail-biting extra time (for the injuries to Penn and Walker) were announced.
Could Barrow hold on ? Two minutes into extra time, a Brittain 25 yard free-kick went just over to the relief of the crowd. Five minutes into extra time, Brown had a shot saved by Bartlett and then Martin made an excellent block from a Kidderminster counter. Barrow threw themselves at every ball and as McGill raced down the wing, the referee blew.
A priceless three points and a magnificent effort from the lads. If we had not defended so solidly in the first half, the result could have been quite different. Sheer hard graft and fantastic teamwork brought a deserved double over Kidderminster.
Jones, who was a tower of strength throughout the game, was awarded Man of the Match but the whole team deserved an award for perseverance today. Nat Kerr is rapidly improving with every game and Walker provided the killer touch.The result sees Barrow move up two places just behind York who are now only 2 points ahead having played three games more.