Welham a doubt for Rams

Dewsbury Rams coach Warren Jowitt has a major doubt over the fitness of Liam Welham (twisted knee), but James Lockwood is free to play after serving a one-match suspension last weekend.

Jowitt admitted that Mark Barlow is also set for his Rams debut in Sunday’s Co-operative Championship clash with Barrow.

Jowitt said: “Mark certainly comes into my thoughts. He can play hooker, centre, loose forward or stand-off, and it’s good to have a player that has the quality to be able to cover so many positions.”

On Barrow, Jowitt added: “They don’t have any mediocre players – they’re all top Championship players – but it’s massive for us that we’re at home. It gives us that slight advantage and we’ve got to make the most of it.”

Andy Ballard could return for Barrow, but Raiders coach Dave Clark will be without Liam Campbell (broken leg) for the rest of the season.

Clark said: “Last week against Hunslet there were some good signs of what we’d been working on over the previous fortnight.

“There’s still a lot of work to be done before we get to the level we want to be playing at, but there are smiles on the boys’ faces and hopefully we can now kick on.”

He added: “Dewsbury play their home ground very well. They’ve got a lot to offer and we’re going to have to be at our best to get the result we want. It’s a big game for both sides.”