Kingstone Press League 1 preview: Swinton Lions v Barrow Raiders

Swinton Lions go into the game against Barrow Raiders having lost their previous two matches to Oldham and York City Knights.

With the Lions currently sitting in eighth spot, coach John Duffy sees this weekend’s clash as a must-win game.

“We got off to a bad start against York last week and that’s the second week running we’ve done that,” he said.

“It’s something that we’ve addressed this week in training and the players, to be fair to them, have held their own meeting as they know the importance of it for us.

“It’s a massive task for us this weekend against Barrow. They’re travelling really well at the minute. They’ve got some good players and they throw the ball about a bit.

“We’re going to have to be really up for it to try and get the result to keep us in the mix at the top.”

Barrow Raiders’ winning streak was extended to three with their 16-4 victory over Newcastle Thunder. With the Raiders now up to fourth, coach Paul Crarey is pleased with his side’s progress.

“It was a very important win for us last week because it keeps us in the mix. We want to be at the top end of the table come the back end of the season, so it’s important we win our home games.

“It’s another step up this week playing Swinton. They’ve probably not hit their straps at times this year but they’re a very capable team with good players and a good coaching staff.

“They’ve lost games by small margins this year but sometimes when you start losing by small margins, you start winning by small margins.

“We’re focused on ourselves and we’re looking to put some points on the board early but we can’t be complacent against a team like Swinton who we know are capable of beating anyone on their day.”