Wales international Anthony Blackwood returned for the Keighley win

Barrow coach Steve McCormack is confident that the return of key players to his squad can lift the club ahead of the Championship run-in.

Raiders welcomed back Anthony Blackwood, Gary Broadbent and Andreas Bauer in Saturday's 54-0 defeat of strugglers Keighley Cougars.

McCormack told BBC Radio Cumbria: "They're coming back at the right time.

"We're in a decent position, and with performances like this the exciting bit is we can get better."

McCormack continued: "We've had a horrendous time, I've never known it in 16 years of professional coaching with the injuries we've had.

"We'll get tested some more over the next fortnight."

Barrow have three games of their regular season remaining before the play-offs, including tricky matches against play-off rivals Widnes and minor premier winners Featherstone Rovers.

"It's a good place to be at the moment, I think we've had our bad times and it's a bit more relaxed," the former Widnes and Whitehaven boss added.

"Maybe the pressure was getting to us, we've consciously after the Halifax game tried to relax a bit and enjoy ourselves.

"We're starting to play as a team, to nil somebody, to only concede six last week suggests they're turning up for each other now, and maybe in the early part of the season they weren't quite doing that."

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