WHEN he is not down at Craven Park taking a coaching session with his players, helping out at one of the club's youth development sessions or up on a roof somewhere doing his day-job, Paul Crarey spends many hours hunched over his laptop studying game footage.

The Barrow Raiders head coach is almost obsessive in his desire to spot any potential areas for improvement in his side, which are then relayed to the players at their weekly video review session.

But Crarey dedicates plenty of time using the RFL's online video library to scout out opponents as well, pouring over their strengths and weaknesses to help prepare Barrow as best they can.

However, he knows his opposite number tonight, University of Gloucestershire All Golds boss Lee Greenwood, will have been doing exactly the same as the Cheltenham-based side aim to keep alive their hopes of securing a place in the Super Eights.

So while the general expectation might be for the Raiders to ease to victory in the manner they have done against some of the other expansion teams this year, Crarey is fully expecting to face an All Golds team with an intimate knowledge of what makes Barrow tick.

Indeed, the manner of their 30-22 win over Workington Town in the League One Cup quarter-finals, having lost 54-22 to the same side the week before, showed him exactly how meticulous Greenwood is.

"Lee Greenwood is no mug," said Crarey. "He will go through us with fine-tooth comb and prepare his side really well. He's a good coach, I've got a lot of time for him as a coach and as a bloke.

"A side that can go and get beaten by 50 points at Workington, then go back the week after and beat them is a massive feather in his cap for his preparation, and how he goes about his business because he's learnt from the first game.

"You've got to prepare, they've got good structures and good defensive patterns. They've got southern players Lee has done really well with and northern players who travel down.

"I'd be surprised if they don't make the top eight and if you look at the sides vying for that, you've got North Wales, Hunslet, Keighley, Workington and them, you've got to think who is going to take it? They're much of a muchness and they can beat anyone on their day."

Greenwood, whose playing career including spells on the wing in Super League with London Broncos and Huddersfield Giants, has overseen steady progress at the All Golds since taking over as head coach ahead of the 2015 season.

Having finished ninth and 12th in his first two years, the team are only outside of the Kingstone Press League One top eight on points difference from Workington and Keighley Cougars with three games of the first phase to go.

Prolific try-scoring full-back or winger Mo Agoro has helped propel the All Golds into contention for the Eights by crossing the whitewash a league-leading 15 times.

And while their final three games - the trip to Barrow is followed by flying to leaders Toronto Wolfpack and Doncaster at home - will provide a stern test of those credentials, Greenwood takes his side to Cumbria with a quiet confidence after overcoming Oxford 38-10 last Sunday.

"I approach it by preparing the team to go and win," Greenwood told All Golds TV. "So when we play Barrow, the team will have looked at things Barrow do, things we need to improve on and we'll go there with a game-plan to stay in the contest as long as we can.

"Since they've played Leeds, Toronto and the League One Cup final, they've just gone off the boil slightly and they're not putting massive scores on teams.

"Hopefully they don't hit their straps this week and we'll go up there with confidence.

"I've taken this team there twice before and we've lost two very close games, and we'd like to go one better. But it's more about staying in the game for as long as we can, then we'll see what happens."

For their part, Barrow go into tonight's encounter aiming to take a step closer to a top-three finish after digging in for a hard-fought 20-10 victory away to London Skolars a week ago.

A win would see them leapfrog second-placed Whitehaven - at least until after Haven's game away to Keighley tomorrow - and they go into the game with Matty Holmes, Bradd Crellin and Danny Morrow available again after injuries.

Crarey was pleased to see the Raiders tough it out down in London last Saturday and while being back on the bigger pitch at home should allow them to play a more expansive game, the head coach is happy for his players to keep racking up the wins in any manner.

"Sometimes during the season, in any level or in any sport, you've got to do what you've got to do to get the job done," said Crarey.

"With the injuries we've had, suspensions we've had and key players being out, we've still only lost one game against Toronto.

"It's the same with Whitehaven, who are up with us, and then the teams below us have lost five games at this stage and some have lost seven.

"For us, they're games in the bag and as long as you're in the top five come the end of the Super Eights, and everyone is healthy, you've got a chance."