Jake Spedding has been shown the door at Barrow Raiders after being approached by their Betfred Championship rivals Featherstone Rovers, writes Paddy McAteer.

The former St Helens junior spoke to head coach Paul Crarey after is agent contacted him about a loan move to Post Office Road till the end of the season.

If things didn't work out, he said, Spedding would be offered back to Barrow, but Crarey was not up for that kind of situation.

Crarey said: “Jake approached me regarding Featherstone coming in. I was not happy with what was going on and told him that he could leave. I don't want players who don't want to play for Barrow,

"I didn't want him to come back if things didn't work out for him. I spoke to [rugby director] Andy Gaffney and told him my view and he came back and said that the club have released him.

"Here we are fighting for our lives and one or two players disrupt things another, unnamed, is also going at the end of the season.

"Jake has been a disappointment, especially in defence, so he can go. It looks like Featherstone and other clubs are having to return dual reg players to their Super League clubs with the transfer deadline being yesterday.”

Spedding made 16 appearances, scoring one try, in his short stay with Barrow, who he joined this year from Saints.

Crarey has other problems as skipper Martin Aspinwall's season is over after the former Wigan player suffered a triple facial injury in Sundays defeat by York. He faces surgery on Monday.

The 37-year-old has a serious eye socket injury and a double break to the jaw. His presence would have been crucial in Barrow's remaining four games.

Also set to miss the rest of the campaign is Jarrad Stack with a torn groin muscle, PNG centre Stargroth Amean could also sit out the remainder of the season with a tear at the back of his right leg while Nathan Mossop also faces surgery on a shoulder problem.