Barrow will be bringing a small army of fans to west Cumbria for Sunday’s crunch derby at Whitehaven.

Three coach-loads of Raiders supporters will be joined by dozens of fans in cars making the trek from the south of the county.

Whitehaven chairman Tommy Todd is anticipating a tough, close contest watched by the biggest crowd of the season.

“We were delighted with the rise in numbers through the turnstiles for the Keighley game and, from what we hear from our friends at Barrow, we can expect excellent support for the Raiders," he said.

“It all adds to the derby atmosphere and, with a lot riding on the result, I am sure everyone is going to be thoroughly entertained."

Both have identical records with 12 wins, a draw and one defeat. Barrow currently hold down second spot behind Toronto Wolfpack, courtesy of their better points differential.

Whitehaven had racked-up 11 straight wins ahead of last week’s 12-12 draw at North Wales so missed out on a new record.

Todd said: “Some people thought it was a dropped point at Wrexham but that wasn’t my interpretation.

"It was a very hard game and I thought it was a good point won in the end. We know it is going to be even tougher on Sunday because Paul Crarey has put together a very good team at Craven Park.

“Apart from the obvious – Toronto Wolfpack – I think us and Barrow have the two best squads in League One. We will find out which is better on Sunday.”

The Whitehaven club is planning to make the crunch derby a family friendly day as well at the Recreation Ground.

Ahead of the big match, a number of kids rugby games will start at noon. There will be a bouncy castle and face painting opportunities.

The day is being sponsored by Whitehaven RL Ladies Committee and Copeland Community RL Foundation.

“People are working hard behind the scenes to make it a special day, not just on the field, but off it,” said Todd.