FORTY years after he first joined Barrow as a player, David Cairns is back at Craven Park to give the next generation the benefit of his experience at the highest levels.

The former Great Britain international scrum half – the last player from the club to achieve such an honour – has agreed to succeed Darren Carter as the head coach of the Furness Raiders under-19s team, marking his return to the town's rugby league scene.

Working shifts for the past 10 years and not finishing until midnight had meant active involvement in the sport had ceased for Cairns, who had successful spells coaching at Millom and Barrow Island once his playing days were over.

But having recently retired, the 59-year-old was approach by Barrow Raiders head coach Paul Crarey with a view to taking over from Carter, who stepped down due to work commitments, and Cairns is delighted to be back at a club with which he enjoyed such a memorable association.

“It does mean a lot to me,” said Cairns. “For a few years after I retired (from playing), it was always there and it was my environment for years and year, three nights a week down there training.

“It won't be strange, but I'm looking forward to it and I'm excited by it.

“I wouldn't say I was reluctant, but I was a bit surprised because I haven't done much coaching for a few years.

“But when Paul started explaining things – and he's got that infectious way – I said I'd sleep on it, and next day I phoned him to say I'd do it, and I'm looking forward to it.”

Crarey and Cairns' playing careers overlapped, with the latter's final season of his first spell at Barrow before joining Salford coinciding with the former making his bow in the professional ranks after joining from amateur club Dalton.

Indeed, Crarey has not forgotten the help and advice Cairns gave to him during that first season, and is in no doubt he will prove just as helpful for those now involved in the Raiders youth set-up.

“He helped me when I first signed for Barrow at 19, and in my first game, he took me under his wing,” said Crarey.

“We've been friends ever since, and I think he'll be great for the lads. He's been great for me, he'll be brilliant for the kids and it's a massive thing that he's taking it on.”

Cairns has already found himself getting back into his old ways from when he was coaching, taking a more critical view of Sunday's Challenge Cup semi-finals after resolving to take a more relaxed approach as a spectator in recent years.

“I watch games on the TV and try not to criticise because I am very critical when I'm watching,” said Cairns. “But I've started to do that now over the past weekend – I've started to see what I can do.

“I've already got that in my head, and I was talking to Gary Broadbent over the weekend and said it's very difficult not to pick points out.

“So I try to watch a game now without too much of 'they should be doing that, they should be doing this'.”

The Furness squad begin preparations for the 2018/19 College Rugby League season at the end of the month, but before then Cairns will be observing Crarey and his team in action with the senior squad to better understand the systems they employ.

He has already been studying the calls for different plays provided to him by Crarey, which he admits is a far cry from his own playing days, when they had three or four different moves, and will continue to implement them with the under-19s so they are ready for when the time to step up to senior level comes.

And above all, Cairns is passionate about continuing the development work done by Crarey and his predecessor Carter, with the former Askam amateur well-aware of the important of having a strong backbone of players from the area in the Barrow squad.

“Working with Paul, there is a lot of development and that's one of Paul's main things, developing young players,” said Cairns. “Let's face it, the club can't afford to keep bringing people in from other places.

“You are always going to have players from Lancashire because you won't have enough locals, but if we can keep bringing the really good local kids through, make them progress and make them better players, it will definitely pay dividends in the end.”