IT WAS another encouraging performance from Barrow last Sunday, against a well-drilled Oldham side who snatched a 22-22 draw via a contentious converted try in the dying seconds from scrum half Dave Hewitt.

He looked miles offside when intercepting a short pass from the back of the scrum and touching down under the sticks.

Referee Jamie Barr missed it, but it was the only thing he did miss, and he must have had sore lips on Sunday evening due to the amount of times he blew his whistle.

All 520 in attendance saw it, including the half-dozen Oldham fans standing behind the sticks busy chanting “Michael Van Gerwen” all afternoon at Raiders forward and fan-favourite ‘Boom-Boom’ Bradley Brennan, who because of the new lime green kit did look remarkably like the world’s number one darts player (from a distance).

Apart from a little indiscipline, Barrow played very well and matched the Championship side in all departments.

Shane Toal had an impressive game, scoring four tries, and he looked dangerous every time he received the ball from new centre partner Declan Hulme.

It was a good, entertaining game against quality opposition who included a number of Huddersfield Giants players in Gene Ormsby, Daniel Smith and Mikey Wood on dual-registration.

We should have won, but it was only a friendly and what the coach would typically call 'a good workout'.

Tomorrow, it’s our Cumbrian neighbours Whitehaven at Craven Park, and they were thrashed by Keighley at Cougar Park 42-0 last week.

Haven’s new boss Carl Forster, in his first game in full charge, was forced to watch an error-strewn opening pre-season defeat in which the Cougars, tipped alongside Haven as promotion candidates, ran in eight tries without conceding a point.

After the 42-0 loss, Forster was forced to admit: “It was shocking,”

The former St Helens prop is the new player/coach and, at the age of 24, the youngest in the professional game.

Forster, who re-joined the club in July after 22 games on dual-registration at Haven earlier in his career, replaced sacked ex-Raiders scrum half James Coyle, who has since joined Hunslet and paired up with his old mentor and ex-Barrow coach Steve Deakin.

Forster has assembled a pretty strong squad and I was very surprised with that big defeat.

Papua New Guinea internationals Jessie Joe Parker and Dion Aiye have both re-signed, ex-Raiders favourite Dave Allen is still there, and Marc Shackley and Karl Olstrum have come back home after a couple of seasons at Workington.

With danger men Elliot Miller and club stalwart Craig Calvert on the wings and new signings Steve Roper and Paul Crook from Rochdale creating the plays, I’m sure the Cougars defeat was just a blip.

However, I do expect Barrow to repeat last year’s pre-season victory and show all our League One rivals that we are the team to beat in the division – apart from Toronto.

The bookies are so confident the newcomers will win the league they have them quoted at 1/8.

Barrow are second favourites at 10/1, with Keighley and Haven both at 14/1 and Dave Clark’s Workington Town 25/1.

Only this week, RFL chief operating officer Ralph Rimmer admitted they considered promoting Toronto in the Championship in place of Bradford, but that saga has finally come to an end with Andrew Chalmers, a former chairman of New Zealand Rugby League, and ex-Wigan, Manly and Kiwis coach Graham Lowe setting up a new company to run Bradford.

Rimmer said: ”All clubs in League One had contracted their squads and set themselves up for League One campaigns, and likewise in the Championship the fixture list was set up. This was the least worst option.”

See you tomorrow.

TONY COLYER