After going through a nightmare year in terms of injuries, Barrow Raiders head coach Paul Crarey should have near enough a fully-fit squad able to take part when pre-season training begins next month.

The Raiders' squad, which could yet have a few more additions in the intervening period, will reconvene at Craven Park on Saturday, November 9 to start preparations for their campaign in Betfred League One next year.

Last year, Crarey was handicapped by the fact he had players like Luke Cresswell and Shane Toal who couldn't take part during much of pre-season due to long-standing injuries, meaning they had to get up to speed during the campaign itself.

This time around, he'll be able to test the fitness of several players who are looking to bounce back from disrupted campaigns, where they were often left as spectators as Barrow were relegated from the Championship.

Crarey said: "Danny Toal is having a scan and I think he's got to have an injection in his knee and we'll see how he reacts to that treatment.

"Mossy [Nathan Mossop] should be near [to full fitness] when we start training and there are a few little niggles that are getting managed, so we'll have a clean bill of health when we start pre-season.

"We had a few lads making their way back from knocks at the start of last year and that made it difficult because we were well off when we started the season.

"We fed them back in during the season and it wasn't easy because we had injuries and it wasn't sustainable to keep them in the side for long periods - Luke Cresswell was one who benefitted from not playing all the time and at the back-end of last season he was outstanding."

New signings Connor Terrill, Carl Forster and Lee Jewitt will be able to integrate themselves in the squad, which has largely been kept the same to give the Raiders some much-needed stability.

There are others who will almost feel like new arrivals, with the likes of Mossop, Declan Hulme, Ryan Duffy, Shane Toal and Danny Morrow all unable to contribute fully to the 2019 season due to injury.

Crarey said: "In the first year in the Championship, Shane Toal was outstanding and he was probably looking at being a Super League prospect.

"There was a bit of interest in him and then he got that horrific injury, like Luke did, but they battled back from it.

"Shane probably came back a bit early this year and it's affected him, but he's had a clear-out in his knee now and he'll be back fit and raring to go when we're in. We'll need those lads to be enthusiastic to the drag the other fellas along."