Exclusive:'Very physical and aggressive team ' - Barrow will take 'step into the unknown' with Hartlepool United visit
BBC Cumbria presenter and commentator Adam Johnson delivers his verdict on Hartlepool United’s National League opener with Barrow.
Barrow are fully aware of the size of the task they will face when they travel to Hartlepool United on the opening day of the season - according to BBC Cumbria presenter and commentator Adam Johnson.
However, he insisted the Bluebirds could also consider the fixture to have come at the right time as they face a Pools squad that have undergone something of an overhaul in preparation for Lee Clark’s first season in charge of the club. The former Newcastle United and Sunderland midfielder’s arrival has led to the arrival of 13 new faces since the end of last season and the hectic summer at Victoria Park appears to have come to an end with the signings of goalkeepers Nathan Fisher and Max Merrick over the weekend.
Much like Clark, Barrow boss Adam Murray will also make his managerial debut for his new club at The Vic on Saturday week and he has also enjoyed what he will believe has been a productive summer with several new faces joining his squad ahead of the big kick-off. Little is known of what to expect from both sides as they head into the season opener with largely new look squads - and Johnson has insisted that means the fixture is ‘a step into the unknown’ for everyone connected with both clubs.
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He told The Mail: “I think there is no hiding it’s a tough game on paper. For the first game of the season to be away at a team that the bookies consider to be second favourites behind Carlisle United, but only marginal second favourites, I think everyone knows it will be a tough game. You could look at it as a tough game if was 11 or 12 games into the season and Hartlepool have their feet under the table and are flying high. But with it being opening day of the season, it’s a step into the unknown, isn’t it? They’re not going to know too much about what this Barrow side is and Barrow won’t know too much about what this Hartlepool side is. The players aren’t going to be fully fixed into what they’re doing so it could be considered a good time to play them and if you can get a good result, it’s not done and dusted, but you’re setting a good stall for the season ahead.”
‘Different proposition’
The Cumbrian outfit wasted little time in kickstarting their preparations for the new season as they appointed Murray as their new head coach just days after he had guided Kidderminster Harriers into non-league’s top flight with a National League North play-off final win against South Shields. Since then, the former Carlisle United and Oxford United midfielder overhauled the squad he inherited by adding the likes of Altrincham midfielder Isaac Marriott, Tamworth defender Kennedy Digie and Pools forward Alex Reid to his ranks.
The new signings have allowed Murray to instil a new mentality and identity within his squad ahead of the new season - and Johnson believes that means they will be up for the fight as they look to secure a place back in the EFL at the first attempt.
He said: “We’ve been here and got the t-shirt, we have worn it many times in the National League and we know what it’s about. We know how tough it is - but they have a plan, they have an identity and Barrow teams over the last two or three years went away from themselves. You couldn’t say how they were going to play or setup - but Adam Murray has changed that and they will fit into his plan. He is the sole cause and he’s identified the players he wants. He has a system - but they won’t be rigid and it’s interchangable. They look a different proposition, they look organised and structured. They won’t lose a fight. Any team that comes up against them and tries to turn it into a punching match will get a bloody nose because they have a very physical and aggressive team and that will put them in good stead.”
Positivity
The trip to Victoria Park will mark Barrow’s first game in the National League since they were promoted as champions at the end of the 2019/20 season. The Bluebirds suffered an agonising relegation from League Two last season - but Johnson has stressed the build-up to the campaign has been far more positive than many expected on the back of such a difficult campaign.
“It’s quite strange to be honest because there’s a lot more positivity going around the club this season than there was in last couple of seasons,” he explained. “On the back of a relegation, you’d think it had been a kick in the teeth - but the way the club has gone about it, instantly going out to rectify things, they made instant decisions on the back of the relegation, they got the manager in pretty much straightaway and they have been able to go about their business. Over the course of the summer, it’s been nothing but positivity.”
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