Barrow meeting the opposition.

Barrow meeting the opposition.

With many Boxing Day games being called off, Tranmere and Barrow supporters are lucky that they have something to look forward to this Christmas. Micky Mellon’s Tranmere are set to host Mark Cooper’s Barrow in a League Two fixture that brings Ollie Banks and Mark Ellis back to Prenton Park.

With that in mind, I spoke to Bluebirds fan Taylor Nelson who gave his thoughts on Barrow’s season so far, how he believes the game will pan out and other subjects that relate to either club before giving his score (scoreless) prediction.

How long have you supported Barrow? Why and how did your love for the club come about?

I first started attending games when I was six. We were playing in the Conference North at that time and me and my dad used to go to the odd game with Barrow being our local team having grown up not far from the ground at all. Eventually, as I got older, it continued to become a more regular thing until I started attending every week and 

became a regular season ticket holder.

Since you’ve been supporting the club, what have been your best and worst footballing experiences?

One of the best experiences would have to be promotion to the Football League. The only downside is that we didn’t get to celebrate it in the way we would have liked or perhaps achieve it in the way we would have preferred either. I guess that pretty much answers both parts to the question!

Random fact about Barrow? (The club/The area)

We have won the FA Trophy twice – once at the old Wembley in 1990 and once at the new Wembley in 2010.

How would you describe The Bluebirds’ campaign so far and what are your hopes/expectations for the months ahead?

Inconsistent. A work in progress. There’s been signs that we are a decent side but we lack a goalscorer and I feel that has impacted on our overall performance with the rest of the team having to carry the burden. In recent weeks, we seem to have turned a corner and I hope that this is more of an indication of what is to come after a frustrating run prior to that. January will be massively important for us.

Taking a look at Boxing Day’s game, who would you say are the key players for either side?

Robbie Gotts will no doubt play a key role in how we perform on the day. From my perspective, Tranmere present themselves as a relatively solid team defensively and I think tackling Peter Clarke and Tom Davies – a player we know a little about after his loan spell last season – will be a tough challenge to overcome.

How do you believe the fixture will be approached by Mark Cooper, in terms of tactics and team selection?

Tough to say! Of course every game is approached differently but I would like to see us approach the game with the same positivity we did against Ipswich. 

What are the fanbase’s thoughts on the club’s ownership? Are there any current off-pitch plans that are creating a sense of excitement?

Nothing too glamorous but we’re ticking over nicely and making every bit of use of the money we have available to us. We’re a smaller club compared to many in the division so unfortunately we’re not as blessed with our facilities. We’re always looking to improve on what we have and I expect the board will continue to do as they have over the past twelve to eighteen months.

Thoughts on Tranmere? The club in general.

I can’t say I have much of an opinion on Tranmere. They’re a club with aspirations quite different to us this season and the facilities and fan-base to assist them. Good luck to them. 

The January transfer window is fast approaching, who would you like to see brought to Holker Street?

A striker who knows where the net is. Quite simply.

Finishing off, your score prediction for the festive fixture at Prenton Park?

Neither team is blessed with goals, I’ll go for a 0-0 draw.