If you can’t win, don’t lose – Barrow boss Pete Wild takes positives from draw

Posted Sunday, April 16, 2023 by PA

Barrow boss Pete Wild accepted that a draw was better than a defeat after his side were denied at Swindon.

The Bluebirds’ hopes of making the Sky Bet League Two play-offs took a hit as they were held to a goalless draw at the County Ground.

Wild said: “I think we’ve had some really good opportunities. We knew we were going to sit in for a lot of it. We knew we were going to let them have the balls.

“A lot of teams do it to them and frustrate them. So, we let them have the ball at times we counter-attacked well and at other times not so well.

“But I think the game plan worked today. And if you can’t win, don’t lose and I think that’s been one of them today for us.

“Yeah, I think that little bit of quality that we’re lacking in the final third to try and get us that goal, but you can’t fault their effort. I think they’ve grafted hard.

“The out-of-possession structure was bang on and we limited Swindon to very little opportunities in front of goal. They had a lot of the football, but they didn’t have a lot of clear-cut opportunities on goal.”

Barrow had the first big chance after 20 minutes as Saidou Khan mishit a clearance back into the danger zone where Ben Whitfield met it with a volley, but he could not get enough power behind his effort and Sol Brynn denied him.

Jonny Williams dazzled his way through the Barrow defence after 34 minutes, driving into the box but delaying taking his shot for too long. He eventually flicked the ball off a defender and behind for a corner.

Charlie Austin was inches away from giving Swindon the lead when he curled a shot towards the top corner that floated between the goal and Williams, who was rushing in, and dropped wide of the post.

Substitute Sam Foley thought he had scored after winning the header from a corner – he diverted it beyond Brynn, but Tom Clayton thought quickly to get back and clear off the line.

Swindon boss Jody Morris said: “I felt that we had a lot of control and possession, you want to create more chances, but we did get the best chance with Jonny Williams.

“If he wasn’t such an honest lad then he could have gone down and the chance just runs away from him after he tried to stay on his feet.

“Then we were denied a definite penalty with Rush (Hepburn-Murphy) in the second half.

“All you are hoping for, especially when you are on a run like we are and the lads are low on confidence, is that you get the decisions that you deserve.

“It just seems to go against you like that when you are on a bad run, as it was a chance to get that elusive goal.

“If you have the best chance at home and have a blatant penalty that isn’t given, then I think you have to take the positives.”