SWINTON Lions chief Tony Barrow has appealed to the people of Bury to back his team on the eve of one of their biggest games of the season.

The high-flying Lions meet table-topping Wakefield Trinity on Sunday (July 5) in a crunch Division One fixture and Barrow believes it has all the makings of a classic.

The Lions beat their Yorkshire rivals 13-12 on their last meeting in May in a nail-biting encounter with Gavin Price-Jones booting over the winning drop goal in the final seconds.

Trinity are sure to be fired up for revenge but Barrow insists his men are ready to shock them again.

"This is a whopping game!" he enthused. "If we win, we move up from fourth into third place and that will really get our title challenge on the road.

"It is vital we win. Our home record has been superb this year - we have only lost once at Gigg Lane.

"I urge the Bury public to come down and watch us. If they have never watched the Lions before, this is the perfect game to start with.

"This will be a full-blooded, passionate game and we are going all-out for the win. Wakefield were sick as parrots when we beat them in May so they will be hungry for some revenge, but we believe we are unbeatable at home."

The Lions have an injury-free squad with Andy Craig poised to return to the starting line-up following a two-week absence with a knee injury.

Barrow added: "We are looking strong. In fact, a lot of people are tipping us to win the league this year. Everybody in the division is frightened of us because they know what we are capable of doing.

"It's always exciting when these games come along. It's going to be another belter!"

The team gets a 10-day break after Sunday's clash (3pm kick-off) with an open weekend next week.

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