Charlie Emslie says the confidence generated by Barrow Raiders’ perfect start to 2022 is helping them defy their underdog status.
The Raiders returned to the Betfred Championship this year, and while some expected the club to struggle, they have instead won their opening four league matches and progressed to the sixth round of the Betfred Challenge Cup, courtesy of last weekend’s 32-18 victory over Workington Town.
Emslie, who was part of the club’s League 1 title-winning squad last year, insists that momentum and belief is continuing to grow with each passing week.
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“The whole feeling around the dressing room is amazing,” he said. “Everyone’s buzzing constantly and confidence is sky high at the moment, but we’re still taking each game as it comes.
“Some people were saying that they were just expecting us to survive relegation, but we’ve had a perfect start instead.
“We’ve had a good run of games and still haven’t played the likes of Leigh and Featherstone yet, but with the confidence we’ve got, I can’t see why we can’t get results [against these teams].”
The Raiders are yet to lose at the Matt Johnson Prestige Stadium in 2022, and Emslie is keen to see that record remain in-tact for as long as possible.
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s game against London Broncos, the Scotland international has emphasised the importance of capitalising on home advantage.
“No matter what level you play at, you want to try and make your home ground a fortress,” he said.
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“If we set that as our foundation and look to win all of our home games, we’ll try to pick up as many results as possible on the road.
“I don’t see why we can’t win all [of our home games], to be honest. We make it a tough place to come.
“London have had quite a tough start to the league and we’ve had a perfect start, so we’re definitely looking to get another two points off them.”
On his hopes for the season, Emslie added: “Originally, a few of the players were saying they just wanted to avoid relegation[ this, but I think we’ve already done that.
“We’ve definitely got a lot more wins in us if we carry on playing how we are.”
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