Barrow Raiders head coach Paul Crarey has received an apology for the decision that saw them have a try wrongly ruled out at a crucial stage of their match at Swinton Lions last Sunday.

The game was delicately poised at 18-12 to the Lions after Luke Cresswell’s converted try dragged Barrow back into the picture when Tee Ritson seized on an error off Ben White’s high kick to run in under the posts and seemingly draw his side level.

However, just as White was lining up the conversion, the ‘try’ was belatedly chalked off after the touch judge on the far side told referee Gareth Hewer he was adamant Ritson was offside, which was not the case.

Swinton eventually went on to win the game 30-12 and plunge the Raiders into deeper trouble in their fight against relegation.

Crarey has since taken a phone call from former Super League referee Steve Presley, who these days coaches Grade One match officials.

Crarey said: “He said it was a ‘huge error’ by the officials and he agreed that it was a game-changer, as the game would have gone 18-18, and he’s reviewed it massively with them.

“He’s said it was a try all day long, but that doesn’t help us at all.

“I spoke to him about how, as a team down the bottom, you’re never going the 50-50 calls and people are judging the games before they start on who’s going to win and who they expect to win, and that goes massively against the underdog.

“He was very good, Steve, and it was probably a difficult conversation to have with me, but he had to make it.

“He could have supported the officials, but he didn’t; he told it exactly how it was and it’s a relief for me that they do support the clubs and they do answer the questions that have been given.”

At Swinton, Crarey also felt aggrieved by the decision to place the Lions’ Gavin Bennion on report for the tackle that ended Stargroth Amean’s game, rather than administer any on-field punishment, a position strengthened by the fact that the hosts scored a match-killing try off the following set.

Bennion was this week banned for two games by the RFL, but thankfully the leg injury to Amean isn’t as bad as it first looked, which was pretty hideous.

Crarey said: “He hasn’t trained this week - we think he might have nicked a cartilage or sustained slight ligament damage, so we’re treating him with kid’s gloves, really, to get him ready for York, which is a big, big game.

“I think Gavin Bennion would have got more, but his foot hit the floor. However, they’re outlawed and our man -Lewis Charnock - gets an eight-match ban for it, granted both of his feet left the floor.

“I’m sure they don’t mean to do it, but it’s just outlawed and it can cause some real bad injuries. He’s got a two-match ban, but it hasn’t helped us because we’ve lost a player for nine minutes and their player stays on before getting banned after the event.”

Things look a little more bleak for Charnock, who fractured his jaw in what was his first game back after his lengthy suspension.

“It’s pretty bad,” Crarey said, adding: “I think it’s a double fracture, so he’s got to see a facial surgeon now to see if they have to pin it, or wire it up. I spoke to him on the phone and his voice is a little distorted and he struggled talking for long periods.”