Pete Wild: Barrow’s draw with Rochdale another point in the right direction

Posted Tuesday, January 03, 2023 by PA

Pete Wild saw his Barrow side again firing blanks despite collecting only their second point in five games with a 0-0 draw against struggling Rochdale.

And the Barrow boss predicts a busy transfer window for the Cumbrians who are 10th in Sky Bet League Two but only two points from the play-offs.

A lack of goals has contributed to just two points from a possible 15, though EFL debutant goalkeeper Scott Moloney helped Barrow keep a clean sheet for the first time in 10 outings.

“It was a scrappy game,” admitted Wild. “We had loads of chances but were not able to take them.

“In that respect, I am frustrated but it is a clean sheet which we haven’t had for a while.

“It’s another point in the right direction. If you look at where this club was 12 months ago that’s where Rochdale are now.

“They are going to fight for their lives and credit to them. But we had enough chances to win the game.

“Everyone has got to chip in with goals but sometimes that doesn’t happen and they dry up. I am not concerned though because we are moving in the right direction.

“Fans were saying ‘get us a striker in January’,” added Wild. “Okay, but where do we magic one of them from?

“We want to get four or five in but we have got to free up some money. We have 15 out of contract in the summer.

“Will they sign new deals? If they are not going to sign, we might as well cash in on them now.”

Barrow dominated possession and chances but Rochdale goalkeeper Richard O’Donnell was tested only twice.

“It has broken the cycle we have been on,” said manager Jim Bentley after Dale ended a depressing sequence of five straight defeats.

“We limited a good team to very little. If we had done that in a lot of the games where it has been a fine dividing line and defended like we have we could have put more points on the board.

“We are not in great form but thankfully we got a clean sheet. We have been better as of late.

“But we probably didn’t do enough to win,” conceded Bentley. “Thankfully, we found a way to get a point.

“Our keeper has made one or two routine saves but a draw was a fair result.

“You take what you are given, it is a clean sheet and something to build on.

“For us, it is approaching every game with a positive mind set. We are still in the bottom two and we are inconsistent whether we are home or away.

“But we are having daily meetings with the chairman and CEO to freshen things up because we need an injection of fresh blood, new faces and new energy.”