Head coach Paul Crarey wants to head up the rebuilding process that will follow Barrow Raiders' inevitable relegation from the Betfred Championship where he intends to bring through the club's young players.

The Raiders are one defeat away from the drop and with their next match being at runaway leaders Toronto Wolfpack, that will surely be confirmed on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean next Saturday.

Just to stack the odds even further against them, Barrow will be heading to Canada with work commitments and Visa issues further weakening an already injury-ravaged squad.

Despite heading a traumatic season, Crarey doesn't want to end his second spell in charge, saying: "That's up to the chairman, but I've spoken to Steve [Neale] and he wants me to stay.

"I'm happy to go on with the team and we need to go through a rebuilding process again.

"People go on about how the recruitment hasn't been good enough, but we've just been absolutely battered from day one with injuries - three fractured cheekbones, eyelids ripped off, lads being suspended for 8-10 games.

"Everybody has been injured - Declan Hulme has only played a handful of games, Ryan Duffy has played a handful of games and we've got young fellas like Ryan Johnston, Jake Carter and Adam Ford coming through to try and keep us in the Championship."

Understandably, expectations for what can be gained at Toronto are low, especially as the first concern of Crarey's is how the Raiders are going to raise a team for the game.

Crarey said: "It's about mental toughness for the lads who will get on that plane because you're on an absolute hiding to nothing.

"York went there and got beat by nearly 60 points when they were second in the competition and the first thing everyone blames is they haven't bodies out there to compete.

"It will be the same for us, but we'll get on that plane and see how many we can take there."