Last updated at 12:55, Tuesday, 04 December 2012

NEW Raiders flier Adam Clay plans on grasping the opportunity handed him by coach Darren Holt with both hands.

New Barrow Raiders signing Adam Clay

The 22-year-old former Super League winger was among the first to sign for Barrow for 2013 when he inked a one-year deal in September.

Clay attended his first training session with his new club at Craven Park on Tuesday – along with fellow new recruits Kurt Haggerty, Matthew Haggarty – a friend of Clay’s since school days – Brad Brennan, Danny Jones, Max Wiper and Sean Casey.

The former Salford City Reds Super League player – he scored five tries in four appearances for the club last year – enjoyed the chance to meet his new team-mates and is fully focused on the challenge ahead.

Having spent half of last season with Leigh and the other half on loan at North Wales Crusaders, the youngster plans on making an impact at Barrow, a club he believes are going places.

“They are a club on the up,” he said when asked why he had signed for Raiders. “I played against them last year for North Wales and I liked it down there – it reminded me a bit of Leigh when I was younger, with the crowd and stuff like that.

“I just thought Barrow were a club on the up and it was a good place for opportunities for me.”

He added: “That impression has been backed up so far. Everything is good, all the lads are good and I am looking forward to it and kicking on for the season.

“It’s not too long now and everyone at training seemed that way, pretty keen.

“It’s quite a young side as well, which is good.”

Clay is one of several wingers competing for a starting spot in the Barrow line-up, alongside James Nixon, Mike Backhouse and Lee Haney.

But he is determined to prove he made the right choice in choosing to join Barrow by earning a starting spot and crossing the whitewash on a regular basis.

“I just want to get a starting spot,” he said. “Scoring tries being a winger is the main thing, but I will put in a lot of work as well, helping the team, taking the ball up in plenty of carries.

“I don’t set myself a target for the number of tries I will score. I do look at it and see how many I am scoring, but when they come, they come and if they don’t, I’m not going to moan, I’ll just get some hard work done and make a few carries and get some yardage to help the team. I don’t mind, it doesn’t really matter to me.

“I’m there to finish moves off, so if the chances come, hopefully I will do that.”

If Clay is able to shine for Barrow, he is hopeful the team will be able to succeed as a whole as well.

He has been impressed by the squad assembled by coach Darren Holt and the board and feels they can live up to his expectations of being a team on the up.

“We spoke about the season at training and I think we could go well,” the former Leigh Miners Rangers junior added.

“Obviously, in the back of our minds, is that we ought to be vying for a play-off spot next year.

“I’m quite ambitious for the season and I think we can go well.

“It’s a good league. I played a few games in it last year and it’s a good division, competitive. Who says we can’t beat one of those big teams if we are playing well?

“I’m definitely looking forward to it.”

First published at 17:02, Thursday, 29 November 2012
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk