Barrow AFC, the team with the joint-second-best defensive record in League Two, have been on the rise recently.
After being promoted as National League winners in 2019/20, Barrow finished 21st, 22nd, ninth, and eighth.
At the time of writing, they are currently seventh this season.
Steady progress is clearly visible, but do the metrics beyond table position suggest the same?
The below visualisation highlights some key metrics from Barrow’s last five seasons.
The progress made over the last two seasons can be primarily attributed to the lack of a managerial change.
Pete Wild was the manager for the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons, but before that, since the beginning of the 2020/21 season, Barrow had appointed five different men to take the top seat in the dugout.
In the summer, Pete Wild parted ways with the club, and they appointed Stephen Clemence.
2023/24 saw them finish the season with the fifth-best defence in the league.
They conceded fewer goals in 2022/23 than last season but still ranked ninth overall for goals conceded.
They are on track to finish the season defensively strong, conceding 1.08 goals per 90 minutes.
Scoring goals has been a problem for Barrow in the last couple of seasons — finishing 2022/23 with just 47 goals and finishing 2023-24 with 62.
However, if they are to have a strong finish and hope to make the playoffs, they have to break the 70-goal mark.
That hasn’t changed for now this season, as they rank in the bottom half for goals scored with just 13 to their name.
Their points-per-game over the last two seasons has improved steadily, and that trend has to continue if the club are to break into playoffs this term.
Stephen Clemence’s appointment did raise eyebrows, given his record at Gillingham last season.
Still, only time will tell how that decision turns out as Barrow tries to progress further and break the playoff barrier.
