York City move to within one game of matching unwanted 66-year-old club record

A 2-0 Holker Street defeat left the Minstermen without a clean sheet in 28 consecutive away fixtures – a run that is just one short of a place in the history books during the post-Midland League era.

Now, if bottom-of-the-table Guiseley, who are yet to win a game this term and have ex-Bootham Crescent pair Michael Rankine and Adam Boyes leading their line, manage to breach City’s backline during their next National League trip a week on Tuesday, then the current team will equal the worst previous sequence, set by Tom Mitchell’s 1949/50 side when Matt Middleton was guarding the goal.

But, whereas that team could call on the likes of Alf Patrick and Sid Storey to conjure up some magic at the other end of the pitch to ensure City still picked up points and victories, this side are now also enduring the club’s worst run in front of goal for more than seven years.

Jackie McNamara’s men have fired blanks in their last four matches, which represents the poorest barren spell since Martin Foyle’s inherited 2008/09 squad almost dropped out of the Conference following five profligate performances.

Netting had been low on the list of chief problems during McNamara’s troubled tenure with the team having only failed to hit the target once in 19 matches prior to this toothless period.

But corresponding difficulties at both ends of the pitch never bodes well for any team.

City fell behind when home captain Danny Livesey's near-post run went completely untracked at a corner.

Calamitous defending was then responsible for a second shortly afterwards when Jordan Williams wriggled his way past Josh Robinson far too easily before driving across the face of City’s six-yard goal where Matt Fry, who didn’t seem to have anybody breathing down his neck, stuck out a boot to put through his own goal.

It was a shoddy six minutes of play for a visiting team that had managed to get to the break without conceding for the first time on their travels this term and for only the second occasion in their last ten road trips.

That rare foothold had been surrendered, though, by the midway point of the second half and, with City having only won one and drawn three games from losing positions under McNamara, there was almost a resignation among the visitors that defeat would follow.

Unsurprisingly, for a team consisting solely of 6ft-plus players, Barrow had earlier created the first openings of the game from their direct play, but never truly extended City keeper Kyle Letheren.

Byron Harrison’s downward header from Dom Smith’s long throw was safely gathered by the ex-Blackpool net-minder, who was also well positioned to catch the Bluebirds’ top scorer’s athletic overhead kick.

A curling Williams free kick only required a routine save too, before the visitors went closer to making the breakthrough with their first chance of the afternoon on 25 minutes.

Perfect vision from Aidan Connolly saw him dissect the home defence with one pass to pick out Shaun Rooney’s charge through the right channel.

The 20-year-old full back went on to shoot past advancing keeper Joel Dixon, but his effort lacked the power to prevent a covering Livesey from clearing off the line.

Jack Higgins steered a near-post chance wide following Connolly’s consequent corner.

At the other end, a stretching Harrison again failed to unduly trouble Letheren from Williams’ low left-wing centre, while Connolly’s edge-of-the-box drive worried Dixon more at his near post.

After the break, Dixon also made a fumbling stop to keep out Rooney’s header from a Connolly flag kick, but Higgins kept his team on level terms by bravely throwing his body at a goalbound Williams strike.

Unfortunately, after Letheren had shown sharp reflexes to deny Liam Hughes, his team-mates did not sense the same level of danger former Carlisle centre-back Livesey was left unchallenged at the near post to guide Williams’ left-wing corner past the exposed City keeper on 58 minutes.

Harrison went on to test the Welshman on the hour mark and Hughes also curled wide from the edge of the box.

Following a long-range Heslop drive that Dixon comfortably collected, the hosts then doubled their advantage after the sloppiest of defensive play from City.

Robinson – on as a makeshift right back for the injured Rooney –proved feeble as Williams ran at him, before Fry turned the home winger’s low drive into an unguarded net.

It was Connolly again who briefly threatened to muster a response, exchanging passes with debutant substitute Fraser Murdoch before his 20-yard shot crept wide.

But a buoyant Barrow sought to add to their score with Hughes dragging a promising ten-yard chance wide, sub Ross Hannah going close with an improvised header and Harrison having the audacity to try his luck from the home side’s own half with his attempt bouncing over Letheren’s crossbar.

Murdoch went on to volley over from 15 yards and fellow replacement Kaine Felix drilled into the sidenetting in the fifth minute of stoppage time, but City surrendered more National League points with barely a whimper.

City

STAR MAN Kyle Letheren: 7 – made some smart saves as his team threatened to cave in

Shaun Rooney: 6 – might have hit his first-half chance with more venom before being muscled out of game

Jack Higgins: 6 – showed determination not to be beaten with brilliant second-half block

Matt Fry: 5 – compounded Robinson’s poor defensive play when put through his own goal under little pressure

Alex Whittle: 6 – not seen in an attacking sense, but remains a consistent performer defensively

Clovis Kamdjo: 5 – lucky not to be cautioned for persistent fouling in first half

Simon Heslop: 5 – made some timely interventions but could not gain control of midfield battleground

Matt Dixon: 5 – game completely passed him by and physicality of opposition was a problem

Aidan Connolly: 6 – first-half pass was game’s one genuine moment of quality and tried to conjure other openings

Richard Brodie: 5 – well-marshalled by Livesey and could not get better of home defence

Jake Wright: 5 – tenacious and determined, but no match for Barrow brawn

Substitutes: Josh Robinson 5 – sloppy (for Rooney, 52), Fraser Murdoch 6 – tidy (for Brodie, 65), Felix 5 – quiet (for Wright, 67).

Subs not used: Luke Simpson, Scott Fenwick.

Barrow

Joel Dixon, Dom Smith, Moussa Diarra, Danny Livesey, Nick Anderton, Liam Hughes (Lindon Meikle, 87), Paul Turnbull, Ryan Yates, Jordan Williams, Richard Bennett (Ross Hannah, 72), Byron Harrison. Subs not used: Andy Haworth, Harry Panayiotou, Euan Murray.

Barrow star man: Livesey – prototype for a lower league centre back

Referee: Joe Johnson rating: 7/10 – tad lenient at times, but generally sensible

Booked: Anderton 47, Hughes 54, Wright 66, Connolly 81.

Attendance: 1,628 (137 from City)

Shots on target: Barrow 7, City 4

Shots off target: Barrow 6, City 4

Corners: Barrow 7, City 5

Fouls conceded: Barrow 9, City 11

Offside: Barrow 4, City 1