CH preview: Swinton v Barrow (Thu)

Swinton Lions coach Gary Chambers faces a double headache ahead of Thursday’s Kingstone Press Championship showdown with Barrow Raiders.

Captain Ritchie Hawkyard is suspended while stand-off Craig Harvey is a major doubt with a knee injury.

Swinton are 13thin the league table, two points behind 11th-placed Barrow, and Chambers insists the pressure his squad faces now will benefit them in the future.

Chambers said: “It stands these young fellows in good stead for their careers as they move on.

“They are learning good lessons and we learned another one the other day at Doncaster.”

He added: “We appreciate what Barrow can do, but we have got to start appreciating what we’ve got here – we’ve got a very good team.

“We’ll prepare as hard as we can, roll our sleeves up and go again.”

Raiders coach Darren Holt has warned his squad they have no excuses if they fail to avoid relegation. Holt said: “It’s in our hands now.”