Barrow claim first win at The Shay in 15 years despite Alfie Johnson’s four-try haul
Halifax Panthers’ hopes of a home win were dashed at The Shay as Barrow Raiders edged a bruising contest 28-20 on Sunday. The result marked Barrow’s first victory at the Halifax ground in 15 years and underlined how a promising start for the hosts unravelled through a sequence of unforced errors and moments of ill-discipline.
The afternoon belonged in statistics to Alfie Johnson, who crossed for a remarkable four tries. But his individual brilliance was not enough to compensate for Halifax’s disrupted matchday preparations; the Panthers named only 15 players and were able to call on just three substitutes after Lloyd Roby was sidelined with illness.
- Final score: Halifax Panthers 20 — Barrow Raiders 28
- Halifax availability: 15 players named; three substitutes
- Barrow returnees: halfbacks Ryan Johnston and Brad Walker back in the side
Halifax made an encouraging start. In the fourth minute Ben Will powered through on the left and released Johnson into the corner for the opening try. The pair combined again shortly after when, ten minutes in, Will’s cut-out pass put Johnson over in the corner for a near carbon-copy of the earlier score. Those two early efforts suggested the Panthers would control the tempo.
However, kicking and handling miscues began to make the hosts pay. Darius Carter missed conversions from the touchline, and a poor restart allowed Barrow to capitalise when Ellis Gillam barged over from close range. The momentum then shifted further in Barrow’s favour as Brad Walker, back from a calf problem, began to control the kicking game and added the first of what the report describes as six goals for the visitors.
The pattern for much of the match saw Halifax create field position through quick play-the-balls but fail to finish the opportunities they manufactured. A misjudged decision inside by Jesse Soric — running into the field rather than utilising the free left edge — and an errant kick-off by Adam O’Brien at the start of the second half compounded their difficulties.
Barrow, buoyed by their returning halfbacks, converted Halifax errors into points. Charlie Emslie crossed from close range before the break, extending the Raiders’ lead and placing pressure on the Panthers to respond. Later in the game, combinations between Broadbent and Andrew Bulman produced a score in the right corner, with Walker’s touchline kicking proving decisive.
| Detail | Known fact from match |
|---|---|
| Halifax named players | 15 (only three substitutes) |
| Alfie Johnson | Scored four tries |
| Barrow kicking | Brad Walker recorded multiple successful goals (six mentioned) |
The scoreline reflects both Barrow’s clinical exploitation of Halifax mistakes and the visitors’ improved control from the pivot positions once Johnston and Walker were available. For the Panthers, the picture is mixed: the team showed the pace and cohesion to threaten, particularly through the Will–Johnson alliance, yet repeated lapses permitted Barrow to build and then protect a lead.
From a Halifax perspective, the immediate concerns will be availability and discipline. Losing Lloyd Roby to illness before kick-off left the bench light and placed additional minutes on a reduced matchday squad. The handling errors and ill-timed kicks, particularly the second-half kick-off that sailed out of play, were costly at crucial stages.
For supporters at The Shay, Alfie Johnson’s four tries will provide at least a silver lining — a reminder of the attacking talent in the Panthers’ ranks. Yet the wider takeaway is that individual performances will not be sufficient if fundamentals continue to be eroded by unforced mistakes and limited resources on the bench.
Halifax will now need to regroup and address those execution issues ahead of their next fixtures if they are to convert promising spells into consistent results at home.
