Pete Wild: Barrow manager thrilled by League Two club creating 'buzz' around town

Barrow players celebrating a goal away to Wrexham — With nine games to play, Barrow need two points to better their return from the 2022-23 season

Barrow manager Pete Wild is thrilled by how the club has created a bond with people in the Cumbrian town.

The team sit sixth, in the League Two play-off spots with nine games to go.

That has them on course for their highest league finish in 54 years, while crowds at the SO Legal Stadium are the biggest since the club returned to the English Football League (EFL) in 2020.

"I honestly think there is a real buzz around the town," said Wild.

The Barrow boss told BBC Radio Cumbria: "I went for a walk last Saturday morning and there was a local kids' team who collared me to come and watch them for 10 minutes.

"That shows where the town is at the moment. That's as pleasing to me and all the staff as the football on the pitch.

"The local town has a team that is driving forward and giving them something to be proud of, so long may that continue."

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Before welcoming Newport County on Saturday (15:00 GMT), Barrow are six points behind the automatic promotion spots with a game in hand.

They last played in the third tier of English football in 1970 and were voted out of the EFL two years later, leading to an exile of 48 years.

But despite the Bluebirds' lofty position, Wild is not focused on staring at the league table or working out permutations.

"The biggest shot of anxiety you can get is if you look at the league table - if we do this and they do that," he said.

"Points per game and points per month have been really good targets for us to hit this year.

"We've got eight points this month and we need nine with two games left. If we can hit that target, it puts us in a really good position heading into the last month of the season."

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