BARROW boss Darren Holt had predicted another close game ahead of their trip to York City Knights.

He probably didn’t expect it to be this close, though, as the two sides served up a cracker for the TV cameras.

That it was a belting advert for the Kingstone Press Championship was of little consolation to the Knights, though, as they again suffered last-ditch agony at the Cumbrians’ hands.

The Raiders had won the reverse fixture with a try after the final hooter. Last night they won it with a penalty after the hooter. And a controversial one, too, as Dean Hadley was deemed offside by referee Chris Leatherbarrow as he closed down a drop goal attempt.

It had been neck and neck up until then as York four times took the lead and the Cumbrians four times equalised.

York also had three tries ruled out by the video ref when, had the game not been on television, they may well have been given by the referee’s naked eye. The last was by Nathan Freer with five minutes to go.

A draw would have been a fair result, but instead Kurt Haggerty gave his side three vital points to lift them off the foot of the table, with York’s bonus point not enough to take them away from the relegation battle.

Kicks by Haggerty and scrum-half Sean Casey helped Barrow to build pressure early in the game, but the Knights defence held out well.

As expected, Casey was one of four key men back in the Barrow side, along with Liam Harrison, Nathan Mossop and prop Andrew Dawson, though the Raiders were missing full-back Liam Campbell due to work commitments which he was unable to change at relatively short notice after the match was brought forward for TV. Mike Backhouse was a natural replacement.

For York, Ben Johnston and Jack Lee both passed fit after illness, with the return of Johnston, after injury, and Simon Brown, after suspension, meaning Tom Carr reverted to full-back as expected and Jonny Presley was back as replacement hooker, Kriss Brining the unlucky one to miss out in the pivots.

George Elliott likewise missed out in the backs, a knock-on effect of Carr’s switch.

They were just two of a few selection headaches which tested Gary Thornton’s nous, but it seemed he had got it right after a decent start, with centre Jack Latus and winger Dougie Flockhart justifying their selection as the latter gave York a ninth-minute lead.

Brown ran the last tackle and a long pass saw Latus make ground and Flockhart finish well for his fourth try in three games.

Carr booted from the touchline his first of four goals.

Flockhart twice more went close but Barrow, as Thornton had warned, were not the easy-beats they had been against Featherstone last time out, and they began to get on top, aided by Knights mistakes.

Boos rang around as home skipper James Ford raced away after fumbles in centrefield, only to be brought back for York scrum, Leatherbarrow having spotted a Knights knock-on too.

This dodgy spell signalled another period of Barrow pressure, and this time they got reward, Casey the scorer, Haggerty goaling his first of four conversions. They looked the likely next scorers, too, but York regained the lead as Mossop’s telegraphed pass was picked off by Johnston, who gave Jack Briscoe the chance to sprint home from 60 metres.

Nevertheless, a Carr mistake gifted Barrow good field position and, with York lacking numbers on the right, Harrison gave Liam Finch an easy chance.

A piece of luck saw York regain the lead on half-time. Brown dabbed the ball forward, Backhouse collided with the ref, and Johnston touched down, the try standing after Leatherbarrow consulted video ref Ian Smith.

Would this be a turning point?

Not really, as Barrow had fortune soon after the resumption as a ricochet gave them a set in York’s half, and the video ref ruled Max Wiper had scored, the player himself seeming surprised.

More misfortune – a heavy fall under an attacking kick – ended Briscoe’s involvement, too, the winger departing by ambulance.

There were no backs on the bench, either, and getting the ball wide had been a good ploy up to that point.

However, while York were temporarily down to 12, a reverse kick from Brown saw Sam Scott put the Knights ahead for a fourth time.

Then came a big moment, the video ref again key as a Flockhart try from a Johnston kick was ruled out for offside. Barrow went up the other end and Harrison – increasingly a danger – set up Wiper for his second.

The video ref also ruled out a Latus try, while Carr was held up over the line and, as the clock ticked down, Freer had his effort chalked off.

Brown missed a drop goal attempt, Casey and Haggerty likewise at the other end. Casey then saw another one-pointer deemed wide by the video ref as Leatherbarrow was again left unsure. His third effort, though, drew the all-important penalty, Leatherbarrow pointing at Dean Hadley as the offender. And painful déjà vu was duly dished out.


Match facts

Knights: Carr 6, Briscoe 7, Ford 6, Latus 7, Flockhart 7, Brown 7, Johnston 7, Freer 7, Lee 6, Aldous 7, Scott 7, Hadley 7, Pickets 7. Subs (all used): Presley 6, Mallender 6, Sullivan 7, Potter 6.

Tries: Flockhart 9; Briscoe 30; Johnston 40; Scott 48.

Conversions: Carr 9, 30, 40, 48.

Sin-binned: none.

Barrow: Backhouse, Clay, Wiper, McGilvray, Low, Finch, Casey, Butler, Mossop, Spencer, Harrison, Haggerty, Toal. Subs (all used): Dandy, Dawson, Brennan, Jones.

Tries: Casey 25; Finch 35; Wiper 43, 56.

Conversions: Haggerty 25, 35, 43, 56.

Penalty: Haggerty 80.

Sin-binned: none.

Man of the match: Jack Latus – gave York joy in the first half down their left before being handed the difficult task of holding back Liam Harrison and Max Wiper after injuries down York’s right.

Referee: Chris Leatherbarrow (St Helens) – went to the video ref countless times, which doesn’t give confidence that they know for sure when making decisions unaided by TV cameras.

Penalties: 3-5.

Half-time: 18-12.

Attendance: 827.

Weather: very pleasant.

Moment of the match: Dougie Flockhart’s opening try was well worked and very well finished.

Gaffe of the match: Tom Carr, perhaps thinking it was a 40-20, tried to field a Sean Casey kick – he should have let it go out – and he instead patted the ball out, gifting Barrow a scrum in the red zone from which Liam Finch equalised before half-time.

Gamebreaker: Chris Leatherbarrow’s decision to give Barrow a penalty in the dying seconds, Kurt Haggerty kicking the winning points after the hooter.

Match rating: just as Barrow boss Darren Holt had predicted, it was a cracking game between two evenly-matched sides. Decent atmosphere too – but a painful ending.