Paul Tisdale knew exactly how to sum up Stevenage's trip to Barrow in League Two - "it was a mess".

The match at Holker Street didn't kick-off until 4.30pm after a power problem in part of the ground.

When it did get going, there were plenty of chances and a red card for each, but no goals as it finished 0-0.

And while the Boro boss was in state of bewilderment at the final whistle, he was also delighted to be leaving Cumbria with a point.

He said: "The day was a mess, an absolute mess, from the hour and a half we had to wait to kick-off to some of our play in the first half.

"Then there were some of the decisions from the players and the referee – it was a mess.

"I don’t know whether we should have done better at the end or not but we got a point.

"Often these days can turn into even worse days but it hasn’t.

"Let’s just take that point and go home."

The lead-up to kick-off was halted with less than an hour to go and forced everyone to take a breather as the stadium staff battled to resolve the problem.

Tisdale just said that was another obstacle to overcome, although everyone was in the same boat.

"It was difficult for everyone," He admitted. "It was difficult for the Barrow people running around trying to rectify the problem, it was difficult for their players as well as ours, it was difficult for the supporters who had to wait.

"It was a mess but it was nobody’s fault. Barrow did really well to get the game on.

"They don’t teach you a chapter on how to deal with that situation on your pro licence.

"We all wanted to play but everyone stayed patient. We just sat with a cup of tea.

"The worst thing was not knowing when the game was going to start.

"Sometimes you just have to take a deep breath and be philosophical about it.

"And as much of a mess as it was, it was actually a good game."

Stevenage struggled at times in the first half but were given a glorious chance to snatch all three points when Aaron Amadi Holloway was dismissed with a straight red 10 minutes into the second period.

They couldn't find a way through though with their own sending off coming in almost the last passage of play, Luke Prosser picking up a second yellow.

Tisdale said: "They had the better pressure but we had the better chances in the first half. I didn’t want to carry on like that though and we had a discussion at half-time.

"We did up the gears but the sending off changed it.

"It was a mess again for another 10 minutes as we both tried to find a way to deal with it but we lacked a bit of guile at the end."