Pete Wild hails Barrow’s best performance of season in win over Grimsby

Posted Wednesday, October 26, 2022 by PA

Barrow boss Pete Wild hailed his team’s best performance of the season as Billy Waters’ 75th-minute goal secured a 1-0 win over Grimsby.

The Bluebirds ended a run of just one point from 15 in the league with a strong performance that could have ended in a higher margin of victory had midfielder Josh Kay not had a second penalty saved in as many matches.

But a delighted Wild was only focussing on the positives afterwards, saying: “I’m really pleased because it’s the best we have played for 90 minutes this season. We created chance after chance after chance and, having watched Grimsby, we knew they are a really good side.

“But we really took the game to them, which we knew we had to and I thought we dominated them so, from the start to the finish, it was the most pleased I have been all season.

“Earlier in the season, I think we would have lost heart if we hadn’t scored but we’ve told the players they’ve got to keep going and they showed heart and graft for this football club.”

Waters netted for the third time this season and, on his contribution, Wild added: “He had another opportunity that he nearly scored from when the keeper made a good save.

“He’s taken time to get back to the level I know he’s capable of but, when he had a spell out because of injury, I think that’s done him a favour, because he’s been outstanding playing just off the striker.

“He used to play there for Crewe as a kid and he’s flourishing in that position now.”

In complete contrast to Wild, Mariners chief Paul Hurst felt his team turned in their poorest performance of the campaign.

“It was probably the worst we have played this season,” he admitted.

“We have lost other games but this was not a night for free-flowing football – it was a night to compete and we did not win anywhere near enough battles.

“It was a bad night for us and I don’t think we deserved anything from the game. Barrow were on top of the ball and got to second balls a hell of a lot more than us.

“It wasn’t a pretty game, but we never really got anything going and their goal was frustrating. They switched play which I’m fine with, but we didn’t do enough to try and stop the cross from the ball in the box and, then, Waters was in the centre of goal and we were on the wrong side of him.

“That’s disappointing because, if we had come away with a 0-0, I’d still be saying the same things but I could have said at least we’d got a point and can move on.”