I thought it was a disappointing performance, with a lot of familiar failings from the tail end of last season.
We started brightly in the first fifteen minutes, with nice link up play down the left side between Hendry, Hawkes and Jennings. However, there was no real end product with balls flashed across the box which were not attacked, or fairly tame efforts from distance. It was poor defending from a set play for their opening goal and I don't think we really recovered from it for the rest of the first half, as our play became quite ragged and we looked vulnerable defensively when we turned the ball over.
In the second half Morris did make a difference when he came on and we had a reasonable amount of possession. However, I still had the feeling that Barrow comfortably sat in their shape and kept us at arm's length and there was no real imagination or penetration in our play.
Ironically, the best chances we created in open play were the result of good through balls from the full backs, rather than any measured build up: the two excellent passes from the impressive Leake in the first half, which Hawkes and Jennings should have done better with, and the ball from McAlear at the death, which Dennis almost got on to with excellent movement.
As has been commented above and I said myself in pre-season, I am not at all convinced the 433 suits these players. Jennings was far too isolated in the central striker role, as was Norris when he came on. We don't have a huge amount of creativity in midfield to begin with, and too many balls are whipped into the box without being anticipated. The decision to start Walker ahead of Morris was bizarre given that he was clearly unfit, and I hope Kieron is not going to be frozen out by Dawes. He is one genuinely creative player we do have.
I thought the one real positive was Leake's performance, a very good display in the first half in particular.
There is a sequence of very difficult matches in the weeks ahead, and better performances than today's will be required to earn some points.