Sheffield Eagles will be without hooker James Pavey for their match against Barrow Raiders tomorrow who was given a one-match ban for a dangerous throw in the recent 42-38 defeat at Leigh.

Pavey was suspended after the Disciplinary Committee studied his 21st-minute tackle of Leigh forward Toby Adamson.

Sheffield finished below the Raiders in the Betfred Championship last season, but while Barrow are facing up the reality of a fight against relegation, Mark Aston’s side are riding high in the division this time.

Successive defeats by Halifax and Leigh have dented the Eagles push for a top three place but Barrow head coach Paul Crarey felt that they were unlucky not to get something out of the game at Leigh where they were denied by a late try.

But mix those results with victories over Toulouse, York and Bradford and hopes of a genuine bid to reach the Super League are alive around the city’s Olympic Legacy Stadium.

Despite the two teams’ contrasting seasons, Aston isn’t paying any attention to the form guide.

He told the Sheffield Star: “They will be disappointed with their season, but with disappointment comes a danger to me,” Aston informed The Star.

“I am surprised to see them where they are. When I looked through their squad in the season preview, I looked at some of the names and I saw they had some really good players.

“We know all about the likes of Jake Spedding. They have the likes of [Stargrot] Amean, Deon Cross who was nearly in our squad, [Willie] Minoga is a force, Josh Johnson is a quality player, Jordan Walne another. They might be low on confidence but an occasion like this usually fetches the best out of teams.”

The half-back pairing of Pat Walker, the Championship’s leading goal-kicker with 53 goals and 12-try Anthony Thackeray offer the major threat for Sheffield. Winger Ryan Millar (11 tries) is also among the division’s top scorers.