Do or die for Rams and Raiders

Jordan Tansey is set to make his home debut as Dewsbury Rams face a do-or-die match with Barrow Raiders for a place in the Northern Rail Cup’s knockout stages.

Last week the Rams won 30-18 at Doncaster, meaning Warren Jowitt’s men can secure their place in the final rounds of the competition by beating Barrow on Sunday.

Jowitt said: “We had some ill discipline and handling errors against Doncaster, but on the whole we played really well. Our defence was good apart from three really poor efforts from certain individuals.”

Dewsbury’s only injury absentee is Pat Walker (broken arm). Jowitt has an otherwise fully fit squad as he tries to counter Barrow’s expansive style.

He said: “I’ve been watching a DVD and they do attack from anywhere. They’ve got a quality side on paper and every player in the team poses a threat.

“We’re going to have to be on our guard, but the most important thing for me is that we get our systems right and our defensive structure right.”

Raiders pair Gary Broadbent (knee) and James Nixon (groin) are both facing up to a fortnight on the sidelines after suffering minor injuries in last week’s 28-22 defeat against Featherstone.

Liam Campbell (foot) is also expected to miss out, but dual-registration trio Joe Wardle, Adam Walker and Gregg McNally are set to travel to the Tetley’s Stadium.

Barrow coach Garry Schofield said: “We’ve got to learn very quickly that we’ve got to take our chances. We’ve got to be more patient and build more pressure, and be clinical when opportunities arise.”

He added: “Dewsbury’s not an easy place to go. Warren Jowitt will have his team fired up, and it’s a must-win game for both teams.”