PAUL Crarey was heartened by the display from teenage half-back Ryan Johnston as he capped a memorable debut with a 30-point haul in Barrow Raiders’ victory over Hemel Stags on Saturday evening.

Furness Raiders Under-19s graduate Johnston scored two tries and kicked 11 goals on his competitive debut for the senior side, having been handed an opportunity at scrum-half in place of Lewis Charnock.

He was also able to benefit from advice from Charnock, who was 18th man for the Raiders, during breaks in play along with his other team-mates and head coach Crarey was pleased with the impact Johnston had in the 82-0 triumph.

“We asked him if he was comfortable kicking goals before he went out and he said he was, so we gave him that duty,” said Crarey. “It was an outstanding debut for him; he wasn’t fazed, he didn’t look out of place in that environment and it shows how healthy we are as a club when we can do that.

“Both the halves were brilliant with him all week and Bradley Marwood was as well, and all of the players were shaking his hand when he does something well and talking to him when he does something bad.

“He’s got some great senior players to play with and he’s taken the opportunity with both hands, and we won’t be afraid to throw him in again this season. It will probably give him a bit of a lift and he’ll have a bit of a spring in his step, but he will have to keep his feet on the ground.

“There will be some tough days for him, but this was a good day for him and the club, and what we’re doing and how we’re progressing is bearing fruit.”

The inclusion of Johnston was one of seven changes Crarey made to the side for the visit of Hemel, with wingers Tom Loxam and Brett Carter making their competitive debuts as well, and Dan Toal getting his first start of the season in the second row.

Crarey was eager to take the opportunity to rotate his squad in this game and give a run-out to those players who had not featured much yet this year due to the form of others, and was impressed with the way the team carried on the strong start to the season.

“We’re just happy to get the win, really,” said Crarey. “We wanted to rest a few players and give other lads in the squad an opportunity to put pressure on those players who have done so well up to now.

“It keeps our squad healthy, it keeps us united as a group and shows that we’re not afraid to make changes even though we’re on a winning streak and to come up with a score like 82-0 was outstanding, really.

“It was a great performance because some of these guys haven’t played for a few weeks and they’re coming in with a bit of pressure on them to deliver, and I thought they delivered.”

The win also marked the third home game in a row that Barrow have kept an opponent scoreless and Crarey once again praised the way his side defended throughout the match.

“We work really hard on defence and our press from the middle,” said Crarey. “We bring amateur teams in and they come with a purpose, we tell them to bash us. Walney, Barrow Island and Askam have been down and we want other teams to come down.

“We’re a bit more switched-on when teams come down and they like to belt us, and we are leaning on them but it works for both because they can practise their attack and we can practise our defence.

“At the moment, our defence from the middle is outstanding. The edge are not getting caught up and tagging edge players on the opposite side and our middle are pressing really hard, our five and six-men have been brilliant and it’s all working at the moment. There will be some dark days where we come unstuck and we’re not going to win every week, but at the moment our attack and defence are very, very good, and we’re going to keep their feet on the ground and working very, very hard.”