Barrow Raiders are making a big effort to be fighting fit from the off this season, with them looking to bounce back from 2019's relegation from the Betfred Championship.

The Raiders will be returning to action on Sunday for their first pre-season friendly of the year when they welcome newly-promoted Oldham to Craven Park and they are determined they won't be caught cold like they were last time.

On that occasion, the then-League One Roughyeds recorded a 24-10 in what was the first warm-up ahead of the 2019 campaign against what was a rusty-looking Barrow side.

Back then, their squad was at varying stages of fitness due to some of them recovering from injuries from the previous campaign, but with numbers up during pre-season this time, head coach Paul Crarey is expecting them to hit the ground running.

He said: "We've got players like Shane Toal and Declan Hulme back, while Ryan Duffy is in probably the best shape he's been in a long time.

"I think Carl Forster has gone from 130kg down to 117 this year and we haven't finished pre-season yet, so he's done really well and a lot of the players have also dropped some weight and they're looking pretty sharp and fit.

"It's been really good and a lot of the lads have been enjoying what we've been doing this year, which has brought a change and a different style where everyone does the weight side of it.

"We didn't have a lot of time to fit it in, but we've just made time for it this year so we get a massive base behind us, so we can run a structure up and around the friendlies.

"As well as a conditioning tool, it's allowed us to put more structure into sessions and it's been good and well-managed."

The Raiders and Oldham have swapped divisions since they last met and Crarey has stepped up the intensity of the training since the players returned from their Christmas break last Saturday in preparation for their return to action.

"We'll be getting ready for what will be a brutal encounter against Oldham," Crarey said.

"They're a very physical team - maybe not quite as physical this year without Scott Naylor there and with Matt Diskin going in, so we've got to prepare for a tough battle up front and a big test on our middles."