Barrow Raiders can expect a hostile atmosphere when they travel to Cumbrian rivals Whitehaven on Sunday, head coach Paul Crarey has warned.

The Raiders marked their return to the Betfred Championship with a 22-10 victory over Sheffield Eagles last weekend. 

Meanwhile, Whitehaven, who reached last season’s Championship play-offs, were beaten 50-4 away at Leigh Centurions, one of the frontrunners for promotion to Super League in 2022.

Despite their contrasting starts, Crarey admits his side cannot afford to take anything for granted as they look to maintain their 100% winning start to the new season. 

“I think [Whitehaven] have had a rough start, but that means nothing,” he told the Rugby Football League’s official YouTube channel. “Their season will start this weekend. 

“We know what it’s like to go up and lose there – the fans are pretty hostile – and we know what it’s like to go up and win there.

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“I’ve got a lot of respect for the club, and I think it’ll be a really tough game. 

“They’re the ones under pressure because they’re at home and they had a bit of a torrid start. 

“There’s a lot of people going from Barrow, so we’ve just got to go up there and enjoy the day and the atmosphere. There’s nothing like a Cumbrian derby.”

Last weekend’s victory marked a victorious return to the second division for the Raiders.

Despite their early-season success over the inaugural 1895 Cup winners at the Matt Johnson Prestige Stadium, Crarey is well aware of the challenges to come as the season progresses.

“There are going to be some tough days,” he admitted. “I watched the game [earlier this week] between York and Featherstone, and what an advert for the Championship – it was brutal.

“You’ve got the full-time top-end teams, and the part-time bottom-end teams scrapping away for survival. It’s going to be tough, but we’re relishing the challenge.

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“I’m pretty positive going into the season, but we’ll take every game as it comes. 

“We’ll get some knockbacks, but it’s how you react after them, and treat the next game like it’s your cup final.”

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