BARROW RAIDERS coach Paul Crarey hailed his staff as he set a new club coaching record.
The 59-year-old former Raiders hooker took charge of his 350th Barrow match away to Oldham yesterday (Sunday), a 44-30 defeat.
That edged him ahead of Frank Foster, another ex-player who represented Great Britain as a backrower, and was at the helm from 1973-74 to 1982-83, three times winning promotion to the top flight (in 1975-76, 1977-78 and 1979-80).
Crarey, who played 172 times between 1986-87 and 1994-95, was coach from October 2005 to the end of the 2007 season and returned for a second spell in September 2014.
He has guided Barrow to two promotions from League One (in 2017, when they also won the iPro Sport (League One) Cup, and 2021) and the Championship play-offs in 2022.
“I want to thank the fans, players and the staff I’ve worked with. They’ve been brilliant, especially (assistant) Steve Rea and (director of rugby) Andy Gaffney,” he said.
“(Analyst) John Flynn and Macca (coach of the Furness Raiders development team) have been great and I’ve enjoyed the last few years with them.
“It’s been a rollercoaster, but it means a lot to be part of the history of this great club.”
Crarey will again coach Cumbria when they face Nigeria at Barrow on Sunday, November 2.