Missed chances were the main cause of Alty's undoing as they went down to a side who hadn't previously won since New Year's Day.
Two goals in seven minutes either side of the break put the skids under the Moss Lane visitors after they'd failed to cash in on their own scoring opportunities. Matt Doughty pulled one back with a stoppage-time penalty earned by sub Joe O'Neill, but it wasn't enough to save an Alty side whose meagre haul of just 34 goals in as many games continues to blight their hopes of a top-half finish.
Said Barrow: "Our finishing wasn't up to scratch and, if you were critical of any department of our team, you'd have to say it was up front.
"The lads put their bodies on the line in defence and midfield. If we'd shown the same desire in the attacking third, we'd have been a lot better off."
Meanwhile, managerless Northwich are surely now heading for relegation after going down 1-0 to visiting Stevenage - a defeat which leaves them with little chance of achieving safety with just a dozen games left and still without a goal in three starts under caretaker-chief Andy Preece.
Droylsden stepped up their push for a place in the Blue Square North play-offs with second-half strikes by Tony Gray and skipper Neil Sorvel giving them a precious 2-0 home win over fellow promotion hopefuls Alfreton.
Victory takes the Bloods back to within striking distance of their fifth-placed neighbours Stalybridge, who could only follow up their 7-1 rout of Hinckley with a disappointing goalless draw at struggling Blyth. Ashton United kept their UniBond premier division play-off hopes alive by sinking relegation-haunted Leigh 2-0 at Hurst Cross.
The Robins had to wait until early in the second-half for Ian Bennett to break the deadlock and it was only when Rod Thornley added their second goal a minute from time that Leigh's brave resistance was finally broken.
Steve Foster's stunning five-goal haul helped Salford City breathe new life into their seemingly hopeless first division north relegation fight as they twice came from behind to win 5-3 at Lancaster.
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