Cogan at the double as Grays beat Barrow

When Wayne Burnett’s side went 1-0 down after 27 minutes it seemed a Barrow win was a certainty.

Bizarrely, for a side in a desperate need of victory, it seemed as if Blues were the away side rather than hosts as they seemed content to flood the midfield and rely on sporadic counter attacks.

Scott Forrester was isolated up front and unable to hold on to the ball when it came, which allowed the Bluebirds to play most of the early stages in the Grays half.

Wideman Matt Henney should have put the visitors ahead when he skipped past Fabian Wilnis on the right and charged towards goal. Only some late pressure from the covering ensured Henney’s strike flashed wide instead of nestled in the bottom corner.

But no Blues defender could get near to Jason Walker a minute later when he put the visitors ahead with impressive aplomb.

The striker latched on to Paul Tait’s flick on, skipped past Stuart, rounded David Button in the Grays goal, before firing into the net from an acute angle. A fabulous finish.

But instead of the goal being a platform from which Barrow could build, it turned into the kickstart Grays had needed.

“We didn’t play well for the first half and hour,” Burnett admitted. “They were a lot sharper to things, but the goal woke us up.

“We got the equaliser and could have gone ahead before half time and then in the second half we controlled the game.

“We got the second goal but just couldn’t find that third goal which would have killed them off. But I was delighted with the win.”

Just a minute after going a goal down, Jamie Slabber miscued when well placed in the box and shortly after Stuart glanced a header wide.

But it was a mistake by the Barrow goalkeeper Alan Martin which gifted Blues an equaliser.

Ishmael Welsh got to the byline and fired in a cross which Martin spilled at the feet of Cogan who bundled the ball home from barely a yard out.

Cogan should have put his side ahead just a minute later when he burst into the box and forced Martin into a great block. Luke Hickie blazed over the rebound.

But Cogan didn’t have long to wait for his second goal.

Eleven minutes after the re-start, the Irishman outmuscled Paul Jones and Steve McNulty on the edge of the box and fired an unstoppable drive into the top corner.

Suddenly, confidence, so notably lacking a few minutes earlier, was coursing through the veins of the Grays players.

Grays dominated the second half with Welsh, Forrester and Damien Batt all going close to a third, but the visitors could have snatched a late equaliser when sub Lee Hunt headed embarrassingly wide after David Button’s save from Jones had rebounded to him six yards out.

Slabber was linking the play up well, Welsh and Cogan were showing off their repertoire of skills and Forrester was proving he is capable of playing at this level by holding the ball up and providing a threat in the penalty area.

At the other end, the back four were playing extremely well. Indeed, it was only the midfield pairing of Stuart Thurgood and Hickie who were notably below par as Grays dominated the second half.

Welsh Damien Batt and Forrester, with a stunning overhead kick, all going close to a third, but Grays just could not kill off the game.

All their good work could have been wasted nine minutes before time when Barrow sub Lee Hunt headed embarrassingly wide after Button’s save from Jones had rebounded to him six yards out.

It was a lucky, but deserved escape.

Grays Athletic: Button, Batt, Ashton, Stuart, Wilnis, Cogan, Thurgood, Hickie, Welsh, Forrester, Slabber (Sloma 83). Subs Not Used: Gier, Dayes, Arnold, McDonald.

Barrow: Martin, Pearson, Jones, McNulty, Logan, Henney (Kerr 61), Joyce (Bond 61), Boyd, Paul Brown, Tait (Hunt 71), Walker.Subs Not Used: Rogan, David Brown.

Att: 502.

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