Barrow boss Pete Wild hailed his side’s character and professionalism after they got back to winning ways with a 1-0 victory over MK Dons at Holker Street.
Cole Stockton, a January loan signing from Burton, opened his account for the club as he fired the Bluebirds back into the automatic promotion places in League Two.
It was just a second win in eight for Wild’s charges and a first-ever victory over the Dons for the club.
After ending a frustrating three-match winless run, Wild said: “Full credit to the staff and the players. I thought they tactically got it spot on.
“What we need to look at is the sheer character and professionalism to stay tight and stay solid after the last couple of weeks.
“Let’s have it right MK are a really good team and will be up there where we want to be.
“We created some really good opportunities and maybe could have scored more.
“The pitch is not great for both teams. We found a way to play on it.
“I’m really pleased with how we withstood the pressure of MK. I honestly think they’re a really good team.
“We wanted to be tight and tough to break down because they can bop it round you. Towards the end I could hear the fans screaming ‘press’ but that’s the last thing we wanted to do.”
The Bluebirds saw a hosts of chances go begging either side the break, with Sam Foley, Kian Spence and Dom Telford all squandering decent opportunities.
But, with 12 minutes left, Stockton was on hand to convert Ben Whitfield’s through ball with aplomb and they held on for the win thanks to goalkeeper Paul Farman’s fine stoppage-time save to deny Joe Tomlinson.
Dons boss Mike Williamson said: “We knew how difficult it was to break them down.
“They do the nitty gritty and the basics really well.
“You could see the difficulty the pitch created for both teams.
“We had that belief in the way we played, but it wasn’t meant to be. We dropped our standards in the second half and were a bit sloppy.
“The boys are down in there. They’re flat and know it’s a missed opportunity.
“They have got a very good, talented, but disciplined group.
“We thought one mistake would decide it. We were disappointed with how we managed the game when we went behind. We panicked a bit.
“It’s all down to ourselves and we can accept that, we’re big enough to accept that.
“We need a response now.
“We had chances to score a goal, but we lacked the quality and execution that we usually have.”
Plymouth Argyle 2-2 Watford: Two-goal Gray rescues point for Rooney's side
Andre Gray scored twice against his former club to salvage a point for struggling Plymouth Argyle as they drew 2-2 with Watford on Friday.
Gray curled in an equaliser in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time to seal a crucial point for Wayne Rooney's side in their bid for survival in the Championship.
The visitors made a quick start at Home Park when Ivorian striker Vakoun Bayo bundled in a cross from Yasser Larouci only eight minutes in.
Plymouth did, however, equalise against the run of play in the 23rd minute when Lewis Gibson's long ball into the box was met with a spectacular volley from Gray.
Watford regained the lead before the break when Imran Louza's free-kick was knocked back by Mattie Pollock, with centre-back Ryan Porteous on hand to steer the ball home.
But just as it looked like Watford would go home with all three points, Gray picked up the ball on the edge of the area and fired home a stunning effort beyond Daniel Bachmann.
Tom Cleverley's Watford sit in fifth place and trail leaders Sunderland by five points, while Plymouth are 17th with 17 points from 16 matches.
Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 Toulouse: Neves stars in comfortable home win
Paris Saint-Germain maintained their unbeaten start to the Ligue 1 season with a comfortable 3-0 win over Toulouse on Friday.
Following Monaco's 3-2 win over Brest earlier in the day, Luis Enrique's side responded emphatically to stay five points clear at the top of the table.
After a dominant start, PSG got themselves ahead in stunning fashion when Achraf Hakimi's cross was brilliantly driven first-time into the bottom corner by Joao Neves.
But Toulouse provided a threat after the break and should have drawn level in the 70th minute through Shavy Babicka, but he fired over with only Matvey Safonov to beat.
That mistake ultimately proved costly with the hosts doubling their advantage eight minutes from time when Beraldo took advantage of some poor defending to finish inside the box.
The triumph was sealed in the first minute of second-half stoppage time through substitute Vitinha, who danced into the box before finishing high into the corner from close range.
Luis Enrique's side will now turn their attentions to the Champions League, with a daunting trip to the Allianz Arena to face Bayern Munich awaiting on Tuesday.
Data Debrief: Party in Paris
PSG's dominance in Ligue 1 continued on Friday, with Luis Enrique's side now having lost just one of their last 41 matches in the top-flight (W30 D10).
Neves was a particular standout for the hosts, winning more duels (nine), registering the joint-most shots on target (two) and the joint-most final third entries (seven) during the game.
Despite the scoreline, PSG were perhaps fortunate to emerge victorious. Though Luis Enrique's side accumulated 17 shots to Toulouse's 11, it was the visitors who ended the contest with a higher expected goals (xG) total, managing 1.39 to the Parisiens' 1.35.
Bayern Munich 3-0 Augsburg: Hat-trick hero Kane smashes Bundesliga record
Harry Kane scored a hat-trick to become the quickest player to score 50 Bundesliga goals as Bayern Munich comfortably dispatched Augsburg 3-0 on Friday.
Kane opened the scoring in the 63rd with a penalty before netting a quickfire double in second-half stoppage time to smash the record previously held by Erling Haaland.
Despite controlling the early possession, Bayern were unable to make their dominance count, with Nediljko Labrovic rarely troubled in the opening 45 minutes.
The hosts maintained their dominance after the interval, with Leon Goretzka's looped header grazing the crossbar before Jamal Musiala went close soon after.
However, Bayern were awarded a penalty after a lengthy VAR review saw Mads Pedersen penalised for handling the ball, with Kane stepping up to score from 12 yards.
The England captain grabbed his second of the game in the third-minute of stoppage time following another VAR review which saw Keven Schlotterbeck sent off after tripping Kane inside the box.
Kane sent Labrovic the wrong way but was not to be denied a fourth treble of the season, brilliantly taking down Goretzka's searching ball before heading the ball home.
Data Debrief: HurriKane
Kane has now scored 50 Bundesliga goals in 43 matches. Before him, Haaland was the quickest player to reach 50 Bundesliga goals, having done so in 50 appearances in the competition for Borussia Dortmund.
He is also the quickest to reach that total for Bayern by some distance. Kane has reached that tally quicker than the likes of Gerd Muller (83 games), Mario Gomez (71 games), Roy Makaay (67 games) and Robert Lewandowski (64 games).
10 of Kane’s goals have come from penalties, while 32 of them have been with his right foot, nine with his left and nine with his head.
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