Ryan Johnston wants to hit the ground running on his return to the Barrow Raiders line-up this weekend.

Following a 24-14 victory over Batley Bulldogs, Raiders will visit the Stade Ernest-Wallon in Round Eight of the Betfred Championship to face Toulouse Olympique.

Johnston admitted that it was difficult watch on from the sidelines during their Round Seven victory against the Bulldogs after being handed a one-game suspension following the club’s defeat to Doncaster two weeks prior.

Speaking to the Raiders website, he said: "There’s only one trip to France every year, and it’s good to get away with the lads and spend a full weekend together.

"Having some time off following a good win against Batley was important - now focus turns to Toulouse, and hopefully we can go over there and cause an upset.

"It’s all about finding a way to pick up points – we’ve got six points and probably would’ve been happy if we were offered that at the start of the season."

A potential return to the team means Johnston could line up in the halves alongside Brad Walker, who was an influential figure in the triumph last round.

The pair are still in the early stages of their half-back partnership but Johnston, who recently surpassed a century of appearances for the Raiders, is confident that they can continue to develop as the season goes on.

“It was quite tough to watch last week, especially with it being a cheap penalty which led to my ban.

“Normally I’m one of the more vocal presences in the team, so me being out probably did Brad a lot of good and helped him put in what I thought was a Man of the Match performance."

Last season, over 100 supporters travelled across the channel to cheer on the Raiders against Toulouse, with similar numbers expected this weekend.

“Our fans are incredible, especially when you go to France as players, turn up in a tough environment and see so many people with Raiders shirts on their back," Johnston added.

“We got a photo with them all last season to celebrate the occasion, so it’s good to have that bond with the people who pay their hard-earned money to come and watch us play.”