Published at 12:04, Friday, 20 July 2012

Don Gailer vowed that Whitehaven would come back stronger against promotion rivals Rochdale Hornets next week after slumping to a 48-16 defeat at Barrow last night that saw the Raiders re-take top spot in Championship One from Workington Town.

Don Gailer

The Haven boss reckons his team were rusty after 18 days without a match while Barrow were battle-hardened following a tough clash at Doncaster on Sunday.

He said: “With six games left, no team should have to sit out two weeks and it hurt us really badly.

“But we are going to be better after it.

“You can prepare on the training field all you want, but there’s nothing like match fitness.”

If Rochdale beat improving North Wales at Spotland on Sunday they will trail Haven by only three points and they entertain the Cumbrians the following weekend. But Gailer warned that Haven will be no pushovers.

“We will fight back,” he pledged. “There’s no panic and with five games left we know what we can do.”

Gailer played tribute to Barrow’s performance, though Raiders boss Darren Holt thought his side lucky to be 18-6 up at the break, before producing a much-improved second-half effort.

The Raiders now lead Town by three points but Workington have a game in hand and a superior points difference.

“If we win every game until the end of the season we will win the league, it’s as simple as that,” said Holt, who, with assistant Phil Atkinson, has been re-appointed for a further two years at Craven Park.

“It’s going to be a tough ask and there are some tough games to come. But that should be our target, now.”

Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk