Last updated at 12:54, Tuesday, 04 December 2012

AFTER a flurry of signings off the pitch, Barrow Raiders boss Darren Holt has made one of the most important off it ahead of the 2013 season.

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Experienced coach and well-respected former player Dean Marwood has been brought back into the Craven Park fold on a permanent basis.

Marwood will form part of a three-pronged coaching staff alongside Holt and Phil Atkinson as Holt looks to build a string backroom staff to prepare for life in the Championship.

“Dean Marwood is on board, back with us this year,” said Holt.

“He’s come back in, so the coaching team will be Phil, myself and Dean Marwood.”

Marwood was first drafted in by Holt during last season to help when Atkinson was on holiday. He worked with the squad in the training sessions ahead of July’s trip to Doncaster, a top-of-the-table clash the Dons edged 28-24 on their way to the Championship One title.

Holt also worked under Marwood as a player at Craven Park, when he was assistant to Peter Roe, Paul Crarey and Dave Clark and the current Raiders chief knows he will bring a lot to the table.

He said: “I’m very pleased to have Dean back on board. I’ve worked under Dean as a player and I’ve got nothing but respect for him.

“All the boys have got nothing but respect for him as well, and I think it will be a good move just to try and bring some attention to detail on a few little things and to try and make it a better environment for the boys in which to train.

“I’m glad he’s come back on board.”

Marwood will help Holt and Atkinson through pre-season, which began on Tuesday, with sessions taking place three nights a week for all players – including those travelling from out of town.

Holt will look to vary the schedule between now and the start of the season-proper on February 3 at Hunslet, with plans to repeat last year’s visit to Barrow Amateur Boxing Club and the classes at DW fitness centre.

“We’ve put a programme in place and we are going to break it down into two blocks,” he said.

“The first month until New Year, which is predominantly pre-season training, will focus on stamina work and fitness work and then as we go into the new year, we’ve got to make it more specific, shorten it up a little bit and make it a bit more explosive and dynamic.

“Realistically, we’ve only got 10 weeks until the start of the season and we’ve got to fit in some friendlies before then as well, we’ve got to try and structure it round that.”

He added: “I think it’s important that you mix up training to keep it interesting and it doesn’t become monotonous.

“We have a big thank you to DW again for the use of the gym. A lot of the boys utilise that in their own time, but we will be using that for squad sessions as well, just to change things up a bit.

“Also, we will hopefully have a couple of sessions with Jeff Moses at the boxing gym.

“That is always a tough session and I always usually like that – I didn’t like it when I was a player doing it, but I don’t mind taking the boys down there to do it!

“We will speak to Jeff and see if we can organise that. It just mixes the training up for them, so they don’t become static and a bit bored.”

l Another Millomite RL player has been snapped up on a professional contract, with loose forward Matthew Palmer signing for Whitehaven.

The 23-year-old played as a junior and senior for his hometown club, but this season was part of the Egremont side that gained promotion from National Conference Division One.

Palmer joins fellow former Woollybacks Brad Crellin and James Newton on the books at the Recreation Ground, while both Nathan Mossop and Andrew Dawson play for Barrow and Peter Lupton and Elliott Miller are on the books at Workington Town.

First published at 17:22, Friday, 30 November 2012
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk