- Railwaymen suffer second home defeat
- Nevitt grabs ninth of season
- Alex stay fifth in standings
Crewe Alexandra were beaten 3-1 by Barrow in their final game at Mornflake Stadium in 2023.
The injury-hit Railwaymen mounted a comeback from 2-0 down when Elliott Nevitt scored his ninth goal of the season.
But they ran out of steam as the visitors got a third, with Ben Whitfield (2) and Ged Garner on target for the Bluebirds.
The result will come as a disappointment to Lee Bell and his men, who were superbly supported by the biggest home attendance since 2006.
However, they gave everything to the cause on a challenging evening and battled to the end.
Manager Bell made four changes to the side that drew with Accrington. Three of them were enforced, with captain Luke Offord suspended and Joe White and Connor O’Riordan unfit fit to play.
Ryan Cooney, Zac Williams and Courtney Baker-Richardson were recalled to the line-up, while keeper Tom Booth was handed his first league start of the season at the expense of Harvey Davies.
Barrow, who came into the game unbeaten in 11 and looking for a seventh-straight win, started with ex-Alex man George Ray at the heart of their defence.
Shots at goal were few and far between in the opening stages, with most of the game being played in the final third.
But the visitors hit the front on 29 minutes when Whitfield backed in before shooting on the turn and finding the net.
Baker-Richardson arrived on the end of a Shilow Tracey cross but couldn’t turn it home towards the end of the half, and Garner headed over the bar at the other end before the whistle.
Barrow doubled their advantage soon after the restart when the referee adjudged that Ray had been fouled in the box and Garner scored from the spot.
Rio Adebisi forced a good stop from keeper Paul Farman before creating the goal that got the Alex back into it.
His whipped corner was perfect for Nevitt to attack and the striker crunched a header home from close range.
Baker-Richardson had a shot saved by Farman before loud appeals for a penalty, after he appeared to have been shoved in the box, were waved away.
Backed by the noisy home fans, Crewe - captained by Mickey Demetriou - were applying all the pressure but they were hit by a sucker punch on the counter.
On 76 minutes, a searching cross from the right was met by the head of Whitfield and Booth was helpless to stop it.
Though the hosts never gave up, that took the momentum out of the game and they could not find a way back.
Crewe (3-4-3): Booth; Billington, Demetriou, Williams; Cooney (Agius, 46), Thomas, Adebisi, Rowe; Nevitt, Baker-Richardson, Tracey.
Subs not used: Davies, Kempster-Down, Nolan, Robinson, Allport, Sant.
Booked: Nevitt, Baker-Richardson, Demetriou, Thomas
Barrow (3-5-2): Farman; Ray, Canavan, Chester; Worrall, Spence (Gotts, 60), Whitfield (Feely, 79), White (Campbell, 69), Foley; Newby, Garner (Acquah, 69).
Subs not used: Lillis, Telford.
Booked: Spence, White, Gotts, Farman.
Referee: A Young.
Attendance: 7,646 (552).