PAUL Crarey believes the RFL have made the right decision to expand the Betfred Championship from next season, but does not agree with the way it way done.

The announcement the second tier of the professional game will increase to 14 teams from 2019 was only made late last Friday afternoon, with two coming up from League One and the other place decided by a one-off match between the Championship bottom side and the League One play-off final runners-up.

Raiders head coach Crarey is in favour of the expansion, yet he feels it could have been handled better, and has a lot of sympathy for current bottom side Rochdale Hornets and their outgoing head coach Alan Kilshaw.

“I think it’s a good decision, but the way it has been done is a little bit comical,” said Crarey. “Rochdale have lost a coach in Alan Kilshaw, who resigned because they were bottom, and now they’ve got a chance of a reprieve.

“He’s resigned on the fact they’ve gone down and he feels it’s his responsibility, but it’s not - it’s the way it’s set up and to call it with only a few games to go is pretty much an embarrassment.

“I think it’s a good thing they’ve done it, but why not keep in the Championship teams who are prepared for it and then bring two up? But Rochdale have got that extra fixture when they’ve had a hard season and people will have booked holidays.

“The Championship is so difficult and then you’re thrown into this play-off system when you haven’t prepared for it.”

Barrow were one of the main beneficiaries from the RFL’s decision to increase the number of teams in the Championship, with their home game against Swinton Lions last Sunday effectively becoming a dead rubber in terms of the relegation battle.

The decision came with just three games left this year due to the wrangling between the RFL and Super League over the professional game’s structure, culminating in last week’s EGM.

And Crarey was in no doubt it should have been made sooner.

“How it has been done, it leaves pretty much a sour taste for everyone in the division and it should have been done earlier,” said Crarey.

“If we’d have been safe, we wouldn’t have had to play injured players and could have blooded younger players.

“He came through it, but he wanted assurances from the club we’d look after him if he got hurt, so it’s a massive thing for a kid to play hurt knowing he could be injured for a long time.

“Maybe it’s about player welfare as well, but it’s a very late decision and it’s a lifeline for teams in League One.”