BARROW RAIDERS halfback Ryan Johnston says he’s looking forward to returning from groin surgery to start a tenth campaign with his hometown team – again under the coaching of Paul Crarey.

The seasoned team chief recently set a club record by overtaking Frank Foster’s 349 matches in charge between 1973-74 and 1982-83.

Crarey, 59, began his second spell at the helm ahead of the 2015 campaign, and Johnston, who is contracted to the end of 2026, said: “It’s been a good year, a lot of the lads are signed up for next season (second rower Ryan King has just penned an extension to 2027), and Cresta (Crarey) is going round again – even though he’s been retiring for the last five years!”

The 27-year-old junior product of nearby amateur club Dalton progressed from Barrow’s Furness Raiders development system to make his first-team debut in 2017, when Crarey’s side won both promotion from the third tier (through the play-offs) and the iPro Sport (League One) Cup.

Johnston played four times that year, learning from regular halfbacks Jamie Dallimore and Lewis Charnock, and had become a central part of the side by the time the Raiders (relegated in 2019) won another promotion in 2021, this time as League One champions.

They reached the play-offs in 2022 but finished eleventh in each of the following two seasons.

This year they have been as high as second, and while now mid-table, picked up a tenth league win in beating Doncaster 32-22 in South Yorkshire, after which it was confirmed Johnston would sit out the rest of the season (alongside on-loan St Helens winger Tee Ritson, who has had an ankle operation).

“I’ve enjoyed this season, and Cresta and his staff have got a real buy-in from the lads and brought plenty of togetherness,” he added.

“I’ve played with the injury since last year, but it’s got gradually worse, so the operation has been a long time coming.”