PAUL Crarey will give everyone the chance to stake a claim for a place in the Barrow Raiders side for the remaining three friendlies when they welcome Oldham to Craven Park tomorrow (kick-off 2pm).

The match against the Kingstone Press Championship outfit is the first encounter for the Raiders against professional opposition since the return to training, having seen off a Barrow and District Select 92-4 the week before Christmas.

Head coach Crarey expects to name a 25-man squad for tomorrow’s encounter, with trialists Tom Loxam and Ethan Kelly among those set to feature, before going with smaller numbers in the matches against Whitehaven, Coventry Bears and Keighley Cougars.

Highly-touted prospects Ryan Johnston and Luke Cresswell will be involved with the rest of the senior squad as well – although a groin injury could rule out Furness Raiders stand-off Jake Carter – and Crarey hopes all involved can make the most of the opportunity.

“For us, it’s about game-time for the lads and just giving a look over everybody in the squad before we start whittling it down for the other games,” said Crarey.

“These games, it’s not do-or-die. It’s just about having a look at our squad and everyone finding their feet. It’s a build-up towards the back end of the friendlies and then looking towards the League One Cup game (against amateurs Rochdale Mayfield).

“Some of the lads get limited game-time over the season, so it’s their chance to impress and get the feel of the game.

“It’s a progression for us in the first game to have a look at our squad and give them some game-time.”

For his part, Crarey’s opposite number Scott Naylor is focused more on producing a good performance ahead of their derby clash with League One champions Rochdale Hornets the following week.

Naylor was unhappy with the display in last week’s loss against Swinton, but his squad is set to boosted by the inclusion of Adam Clay, among others, after the former Barrow winger was named in the matchday 19 who are set to make the trip.

“I’m not looking for fancy stuff at Barrow,” said Naylor, whose side kick off the Championship season at home to Sheffield Eagles on February 5. “We need to get the basics right – good yardage, strong defensive structures and stuff like that.

“The result is not important, but we need to get things right because the Law Cup result next week is very important.”

The Raiders have a pre-season derby showdown on the horizon too, with Whitehaven making the journey down the Cumbrian coast to Craven Park a week tomorrow.

That match is likely to see skipper Ollie Wilkes and Martin Aspinwall feature, with the former missing tomorrow’s friendly due to needing an injection in his knee which is scheduled for next week, and the latter nursing an achilles problem.

Nathan Mossop will sit out the Oldham game too as he is still suffering from some swelling on the ankle he dislocated in the play-off final defeat at Toulouse Olympique last October.

And with Wilkes and Aspinwall not playing, Crarey is looking for the likes of former Workington Town and Warrington Wolves Academy prop Tom Walker to lead from the front – particularly with Oldham’s forwards expected to pose a strong physical challenge.

“It’s not our level; we always say that when we’re playing Championship clubs, they have a different budget to us, but we can compete,” said Crarey.

“We want to compete for long periods of time and we’re at home as well. They’re a massive pack, so it gives a good test to our young forwards with Martin and Ollie missing – who is going to stand up and go forwards?

“Tom Walker has played Championship all last year, so we’ll be looking for people like him to stand up and see how they go against a Championship side.”