Pete Wild believes Barrow will be “right up there” this season after his side held League Two leaders Notts County to a 1-1 draw at Holker Street.
Luke Williams’ Magpies went in front thanks to David McGoldrick’s first-half penalty.
But the spoils were shared in the first English Football League meeting between the two sides since 1970 after Dean Campbell converted from the spot for the hosts with 10 minutes to go.
“I think you’ve seen the best of Barrow this week,” said Wild.
“It’s crazy that we’ve only got one point from those two games.
“But I said to the lads in the dressing room that if that doesn’t give you hope that we’ll be right up there then nothing will because Notts County will certainly be right up there. They move the ball really well.
“We’re frustrated we didn’t win it because I think we deserved to win it in the end. But I’ll certainly take a point and certainly take a lot of hope from what I’ve seen this week.
“It was a great advert for League Two football. It was a great game to manage in, I really enjoyed being a part of that game.
“I thought we started rubbish and paid them too much respect. We were too passive and didn’t get going. I thought we played some really good stuff.”
County boss Williams cut a frustrated figure after the final whistle.
His side dominated possession, but Barrow arguably had the better chances.
He said: “After scoring first we dropped two points for sure. We were better in the first half and they were better in the second. We started really correctly, made some openings and scored first.
“It was a very disappointing game for us. We’re frustrated to be leaving here with just a point. We made too many mistakes.
“As the game went on the pitch got harder to play on. You saw players slipping and they coped better with that than we did.
“They got stronger as the game went on and that’s really disappointing for us. We’ve got to score more goals, it’s as simple as that.
“But you don’t have to worry. If you don’t score three goals in the first 20 minutes you just have to continue to concentrate and play the same way.
“You have to wait for your chance and be patient. But we looked determined to concede a goal. It looked like we were desperate to concede, it was crazy.”