Barrow Raiders boss Paul Crarey says he can’t wait for Workington Town’s visit to Craven Park on Sunday in their first derby fixture since 2014.

Town travel to south Cumbria for their first pre-season game of the season while the run-out will be Barrow’s second in preparation for the 2016 season.

“I think both sides are ready for it,” Crarey said. “It’s about getting a run-out on grass and being in a game situation and it’s a chance for both myself and Phil [Veivers] to see where our sides are at.

“There’s only so much training you can do.”

Crarey is hoping to use a squad of as many as 20 players on Sunday and believes that his opposite number will follow suit.

“It’s about having a good look at our players and not over-loading them.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing our new signings, Ryan Fieldhouse, Oliver Wilkes and Martin Aspinwall, to see how they fit in.

“Town have brought a few new players in too, so it’s less about us focusing on them and more about seeing what we can do.”

Speaking about game management at the weekend, Crarey says the use of unlimited interchanges with a bigger squad will benefit both sides.

“You play the game a bit differently in friendly fixtures,” he continued.

“In a league game you have 17 players and 10 interchanges and the squad becomes fatigued.

“It’s an opportunity to give the likes of our forwards three 10-minute spells and keep him fresh rather than burn them out - we need to look after our players.

“Another great benefit is the chance to look at video footage too.

“When we played Barrow District we had a chance to look at video after the game and it’s done us the world of good.

“You can see what you’ve done right or wrong and then work on improving.”

Crarey has worked with some of the players in the Workington squad in the past and is looking forward to seeing them in action again.

“I coached Sam Forrester in the BARLA squad and he’s a great kid,” he said.

“We did try and sign him because I think he’s a great player with a bright future ahead of him, but it’s tough when you’re trying to compete with the teams in the west. There would have been a lot of travel involved.

“It’s great to see him improve. I worked with Marc Shackley while I was coach at Whitehaven and he’s a great player.

“I’ve done some work with Tee Ritson in the past as well and it’s great seeing these Cumbrian youngsters staying in the country to play rugby.”