A former manager of one of Barrow’s relegation rivals is joining the Bluebirds fight to avoid the drop.
Graham Coughlan, who has managed Newport County, has linked up with Sam Foley the interim player-coach at Holker Street, in an advisory role.
Dublin-born Coughlan, 51, played most of his football at Plymouth Argyle where he made 177 appearances and played over 460 games in total before joining Bristol Rovers as manager in 2018.
After saving Rovers from the drop in his first season he had them up to fourth in League One by December in his second when he left to take over as manager at Mansfield.
He saw out the first season at Field Mill before parting coming with the Staghs in October 2020 after a poor start to the season.
He joined Sheffield United in March 2021 as a coach with the Under-23’s on ashort term contract and in October 2022 joined Newport County as manager.
Highlights there were reaching the fourth round of the Cup in the 2023-24 season and losing 4-2 to Manchester United and lifting Newport to a 15th place finish in League Two.
Hev left at the end of the 2023/24 season and in November 2024 tookon the job as manager of Boston United who were lying 23rd in the National League at the time.
They achieved safety in their penultimate game but things turned this season and in January he was sacked after just one win in 11 matches.
Now he is joining Barrow and after taking the warm-up against Bromley on Saturday was on the bench alongside Foley. After being 1-0 down at half-time to the League leaders the Bluebirds stormed back to win 2-1, only their third league victory since October and ended Bromley’s 21-match unbeaten run.
Barrow lie 23rd in the second relegation place in League Two, ahead of Harrogate but two points behind Coughlan’s former club Newport, with a game in hand.
