On a cold and windy evening, Scott Quigley netted a late winner to secure all three points for Barrow.
Harry Kewell named one enforced change to his team following the draw against Tranmere Rovers at the weekend with Kyle Jameson, facing his former side, replacing the suspended Sido Jombati.
The first-half didn’t present any clear-cut chances of note with the visitors slightly dominating the early exchanges.
Latics academy product, Neal Eardley, nearly put Rob Kelly’s side ahead in the seventh minute as his dipping cross from the right-wing caught Ian Lawlor out and looked destined for the back of the net, but the goalkeeper applied great footwork to claw the ball away.
The boys in blue’s best opportunity of the first interval arrived when the in-form Davis Keillor-Dunn picked out Conor McAleny on the edge of the area with his back to goal, he turned and struck goalwards but Joel Dixon managed to save the effort.
Barrow’s Luke James found himself free inside the penalty area and smashed an effort towards the target, but Harry Clarke bravely put his body in the way to stop the strike from going into the net.
McAleny continued to cause trouble for the Bluebirds’ backline and, just before half-time, cut inside on the left-wing and blasted his strike just past the far post.
The visitors thought they had broken the deadlock in the 66th minute as Scott Quigley managed to turn past Clarke and then powerfully striking goalwards which cannoned off the crossbar, bouncing on the line before hitting the crossbar again and then being cleared. All of Barrow’s players and staff were adamant that it was a goal, but the referee waved away the protests.
Latics’ top goalscorer, McAleny, continued to give his side a glimmer of hope by testing Dixon. He received the ball around 25-yards from goal and his swerving strike was just about kept out by the shot-stopper as he parried it away.
Former Latics fans favourite, Ollie Banks, drilled a free-kick low towards the bottom corner, but Lawlor managed to get down and push the strike away from goal.
The main positive for the hosts was that Youth Team midfielder, Harry Vaughan, made his professional debut at just 16-years of age and showed plenty of promise.
In the 89th minute, Barrow found a winner as Jamie Devitt played Quigley one-on-one with Lawlor and he kept his composure to slot through the goalkeeper’s legs and into the back of the net.
Oldham Athletic XI – Lawlor (GK), Clarke, Keillor-Dunn, Jameson, Tasdemir (Whelan 60’), McAleny, Badan (Diarra 40’), Hilssner (Barnes 60’, Vaughan 75’), Adams ©, Bahamboula (Blackwood 60’), McCalmont.
Subs – Bilboe (GK), Piergianni.
Barrow XI – Dixon (GK), Brough, Taylor, Quigley, Ntlhe (Devitt 74’), Jones, Davies, Barry, Eardley ©, James, Banks.
Subs – Lillis (GK), Ndjoli, Sea, Bramall, Thomas.
Goals: Quigley 89’
Referee – Michael Salisbury