Craig Ratford will take some part in Saturday's game at Redruth

Barking down on options ahead of trip to Cornwall

A trip to Redruth is bad enough when you have the strongest of squads — but Barking will face a battle from the off on Saturday,

The National Two South match is a re-arranged fixture from before Christmas, where bad weather wiped out the original meeting in Cornwall.

But with a number of players unavailable because of the new date and a growing injury list, Warren knows it is going to be tough for his young squad.

“We are asking a lot from the players, but we are lacking the strength of depth we need. There isn’t a lot we can do about that,” said Warren.

“It was originally going to be a blank weekend when the fixtures come out but it had to be re-arranged and some of the players aren’t available. And add to that there are three or four who are carrying knocks and strains so it is going to be tough.

“This season is all about a learning curve and we are going down there on the Friday so the boys can prepare properly.

“The boys have got to learn that rugby is not all about short trips across London and Essex, there is much more to it in the National Leagues.

“It’s a tough test anyway but this makes it even tougher but hopefully they can give a good account of themselves.”

Club captain Craig Ratford played some part in an Essex Cup quarter-final clash against Rochford on Wednesday in a 26-0 win and he should feature on Saturday.

Tom Yellowlees continues his recovery from a serious neck injury, but may only feature towards the end of the season as he continues his rehabilitation.

On Saturday, there are likely to be debuts for second team players Steven Gleave and Zak Myers as Warren takes a look at all options available to him, with Barking rooted to the bottom of the table, with 1,000 points now conceded.

“One or two players will be on debut and it’ll be a big day for them,” he added. “The likes of Steve and Zak have been playing in the seconds and at youth level and it’s an opportunity for them.

“It will be interesting for them but we’ll see how they go and hopefully we can integrate them into the team.”