REPORT | Barrow Raiders 25 Dons 26

The Dons climbed back into the top four of the Betfred Championship with a thrilling late victory over Barrow Raiders at the Speed Competitions Stadium.

Connor Jones produced in the first half and scored a wonderfully crafted brace, but the hosts led at the break by five points following the utilisation of kicking opportunities.

Muizz Mustapha and Edene Gebbie scored an equally impressive try each in the second period of 40 minutes, but it took a late, inch-perfect Connor Robinson penalty kick goal to snatch the points and spoils from the clutches of the Raiders.
Horne made eight changes to the side that started in the club-record win against North Wales Crusaders at home three days earlier, with Tom Holmes, Watson Boas, Brad Hey, Gebbie, Connor Jones, Mustapha and Luis Johnson all hands spots inside the starting XIII.
The Dons struggle to find a foothold in the game early on and found themselves behind after five minutes in Barrow as Springer was penalised in front of the sticks and Ryan Johnston converted his penalty for the lead and the first two points of the game.
Horne's men weren't aided by fortune in the opening minutes of the game either. After a deflection on the last tackle of six, the ball fell back into Barrow hands and arms after the kick and left the Raiders to charge forward and then score on the right through Josh Wood on eight minutes. Johnston added the extras.
The Dons eventually grew into the game and responded after 14 minutes. Connor Jones took on the football in the middle of the park and produced a fine run to take play towards the left-hand side, where he scored smartly. Robinson added the extras.
Six minutes later, the visitors were in again. Gebbie showed his quality to run over and drag Barrow men to the right before sliding the ball off to Connor Jones, who scored the easiest of tries. Robinson converted. 8-12. The Dons were in front.
But just as the away side looked to be starting to take control, the hosts struck back. Going to the left from centre, Joe Bullock bounced onto the ball inside a pocket of space and found his way in to score behind the posts on 25 minutes. Johnston converted.
The remainder of time left inside the opening 40 minutes was littered with errors from both sides, but Barrow managed to add further points to their side of the scoreboard before the half time hooter.
First Johnston converted another penalty from the middle, this time conceded by Alex Sutcliffe, and then the home side's number seven added a drop-kick goal in the final seconds of the half.
The added points left a scoreline at the interval of 17-12.
The Dons came out for the second half with an extra attacking intent and scored again five minutes after the restart. Horne's men elected to attempt to run the ball in on the last tackle of their latest set of six, and it succeeded as Connor Jones gave to Mustapha, who sliced through a gap to score. Robinson added the extras again.
Barrow came back at the Dons again, though, three minutes later. Ryan King went alone on the right and bundled his way over the try line. Johnston added the extras.
On 53 minutes, the Dons scored again, and the pendulum swung back the way of the visitors. Gebbie took play on from Robinson's offload and smashed his way through the Raiders line with power to score off to the left of the uprights. Robinson converted again. 23-24.
But then the back-and-forth nature of the fixture continued. Barrow were awarded a penalty on the left for an off-of-the-ball incident, and Johnston converted it to put the hosts one point back in front again.
As the game entered the final ten minutes, there was a sense of tension looming over Craven Park, with both teams knowing the next score could be decisive.
And the Dons looked to have gotten in through Holmes with four minutes left on the clock, but the referee pulled play back for an earlier penalty incident.
Time was rapidly running out, and the Dons needed a response and an answer, fast.
And with two minutes left to play of the 80, Horne's men were presented with the chance that they were desperately craving as they were awarded a penalty a matter of yards inside the Barrow half. Robinson signalled for the two, kicked it and notched it directly between the uprights on 79 minutes to give his side a late one-point lead.
The Raiders threw everything at it throughout the slender amount of time left on the clock, but the Dons' defensive line held firm to take a crucial win and two points in the race at the top end of the second tier.
Dons: Holmes, Vulikijapani, Boas, Hey, Gebbie, C. Jones, Robinson, Mustapha, Misky, Springer, Sutcliffe, Johnson, J. Jones. Interchanges: Matagi, McConnell, Pauli, Hepi.