RYAN Johnston is destined to have a ‘massive future’ with Barrow Raiders, says coach Paul Crarey.

Crarey is delighted that the exciting 18-year-old half-back has penned a three-year deal at Craven Park, having monitored his career closely since he first coached him as a youngster at Dalton.

Johnston becomes the first player to graduate from the Furness Raiders Academy set-up to the first-team squad, and Crarey believes he has what it takes to make a big impact in the professional game.

“I am pretty excited about him coming in,” said Crarey. “I’ve coached Ryan since he was five years of age. He was at Dalton with me. He has got tremendous talent and he has got a real will-to-win for a young kid.

“He is mature beyond his years as a player, and I think, given time, he will be a regular at Craven Park.”

After seeing Johnston star for Dalton as a goal-kicking half-back in his junior days, Crarey was not shocked when Super League Warrington Wolves came in for him two years ago.

But equally – given that he describes Johnston as a ‘small-town lad’ – the coach was not surprised that things did not go to plan at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.

“He didn’t really settle there, and I knew he wouldn’t,” said Crarey. “He’s pretty much a home bird, and with the travelling down there after six weeks he said he wasn’t enjoying it.

“He’s not the type who wants to get in a car. He likes to be knocking about round here. He’s a small-town lad and he just wants to play. He’s not materialistic, he doesn’t want the fame and fortune of playing for a big club. He just wants to play for Barrow, and we are going to help him do that.”

After his brief spell at Warrington, Crarey urged Johnston to return to the amateur ranks at Dalton – both to help the Kelland Park side and to aid the player’s development – and now he feels it is the right time for him to make the step-up.

“We kept him at his amateur club to help them and they have been brilliant. Ian Gordon and John Winward have supported what we have done, but now is the time for him,” said Crarey.

“He wanted to sign last year but we held him back. But now the senior players are saying that kid needs to be in this environment full-time and learn how to be a professional rugby player. And we agree with that and he fits in really well. He is only 18 years of age and he has got a massive future.

“He’s got a good frame for a pivot, he’s an outstanding goal-kicker and he’s got all the attributes, but the big thing for him now is to learn how to be a professional.

“It’s totally different from academy football and totally different from amateur football. He has got to get his head down at training. I know he will do that because I know his attitude is good because I have been with him since he was five years old.”

Crarey says Johnston will get some first-team experience next season, comparing his development to that of fellow promising recruits Luke Cresswell, of Barrow Island, and Walney Central’s Matty Holmes. But he predicts it will be a few more years before he really makes his mark in the pro ranks.

“This year his game-time will be the friendlies, the odd game and the Academy set-up, and he will be learning all the time,” said Crarey.

“He will do the weights, he will do the training. He will learn like Luke and Matty did. We will give him every chance. These kids are the best in the area and they are committing to us, which is great.

“He can play six, seven, nine. He can play full-back – he can play pretty much anywhere on the park. He’s got great vision, he just needs to mature a little bit and play within himself.

“Sometimes he plays a bit out of the box, which is good in some ways, but not in others. But he will learn from our senior players. He is going from an amateur environment to a professional environment. These kids have got to learn the game at some point. The earlier the better.

“They might not flourish for a couple of years and then they will spring out and people will say; ‘Where has this lad come from?’

“But it’s a massive step forward for the club that these kids are wanting to sign for us.”

l Paul Crarey and Barrow Raiders are appreciative of the part played by local firm Barrow Central Joinery, who have sponsored Johnston and given him an apprenticeship as part of the deal to get him signed on as a professional. Read more on the role Barrow Central Joinery have played in the Evening Mail next week.