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I thought we played well today and like yourself thought we could have scored with a bit more luck. In the game at Odsal, Bradford lost a bit of concentration in the last 10 minutes which allowed us to score a couple of tries. No such luck today, they had their eyes on the points difference and weren't going to let that go. I believe the crowd was 886, which is a new record for rugby at Queensway. When I left, they were waiting for an ambulance to take James Dandy to hospital after he was carried off. Hope he's OK.

We now have four local welsh players in the squad, and with games against Hemel and West Wales in the next few weeks, it's likely that we will see them making their first team debuts. https://northwalescrusaders.co.uk/crusaders-sign-trio-reserves/ https://northwalescrusaders.co.uk/crusaders-sign-davies-reserves/ https://northwalescrusaders.co.uk/youth-structure-update/ As I have said before, the lads from Widnes, Warrington and St Helens who play for this club are proud to wear the shirt and proud to be bringing their sport to a new area. They might not be Welsh but they are local, and helping to inspire the local Welsh lads who hope to take their place one day. You're right about the Racecourse though. I can't see us ever playing there again, and maybe not Wales either. Today's crowd of 886 would have made a loss at the Racecourse and all the food and drink money would have gone to the football club. Instead, the club is making a small profit (after taking account of debt repayment) on crowds of less than 400 and should be out of debt, and back up to full central funding by this time next year.

Car park directions added. http://www.totalrl.com/forums/index.php?/topic/330027-north-wales-crusaders-1282018/

Just to add to the descriptions above, and since we are expecting a larger than usual crowd, here are some directions to car parks near the ground. First of all, not everyone has satnav, so assuming you are travelling from the north, leave the A483 at junction 6 (signposted Nantwich) and then the second exit from the roundabout onto the A5156 (Wrexham Industrial Estate). Stay on this road until the second roundabout, turning right for Wexham A534. Continue along this road towards the town centre, if you want to try your luck for a parking space at the ground, after about a mile there is a brown sign for Queensway (left turn). Otherwise continue to the roundabout near Tesco. Take the second exit off the roundabout (sign Whitchurch) so you pass Tesco on your left. There are three car parks here, the cheapest is Crescent Road (£2 all day). Turn left (opposite Debenhams) into Crescent Road, the car park is about 200 yards on the right. To get to the ground from here, walk back along Crescent Road and take the first left into Manley Road. At the end of Manley Road turn left again onto Smithfield Road, the ground is on the other side of the roundabout at the end of this road, about 10 minutes walk from the car park. For satnav, the post code is LL13 8BG. The second car park is in the Eagles Meadow shopping centre on the right (£3.50 up to 4 hours, £5.50 up to 6 hours). The entrance is straight off the roundabout after Debenhams. To get to the ground from here, cross the road to Mecca Bingo and turn right, walk along the road with Mecca on your left and turn into Smithfield Road (Anise Indian restaurant is on the corner). The ground is at the other end of Smithfield Road across the roundabout, again about 10 mins from the car park. The third car park is Saint Georges Crescent, but this is 3 hours maximum stay.

I'll be very surprised If the car park isn't full at 12:00. There are three town centre car parks within 10 mins walk to the ground, and I've just walked from the long stay car park ((£2 all day) to Queensway and took just 7 mins with a steady stroll. We don't normally have this problem of course, but I think I'll type up some directions and add to the ground description, might save a few people some pre-match stress. As for anyone coming by train, best plan is to take a taxi to the ground. There's a taxi office at the station, It'll cost about £5. I don't usually predict results anyway, but so long as we give them a game and the players walk off with their heads up, I'll be happy. For us, this one's all about the occasion.

For any Bradford fans interested in knowing what the Queensway stadium is like, there is now a brief description with pictures of the ground on the Bradford forum on this site.

Welcome to Queensway. It might not be as grand as Murrayfield, Odsal or even the Racecourse, but it is home. It is a purpose built athletics stadium which the club has adapted for rugby use, and the move here 2 years ago was a major factor in saving semi-professional RL in North Wales. The record attendance for rugby is 590, when Toronto were the visitors last year and we fully expect that record to be broken on Sunday. With an average crowd of 334 this year, it is going to be quite a challenge staging the game, but we are really looking forward to it. With the exception of the stewards, everything is run by volunteers, who also pay to watch the game. The pitch will be marked out by one of our directors, another director will be pulling pints at the bar, helped by numerous fans giving up their time. You might even be served with an ice cream by the Wales RL team manager. (Just ask John Kear, he'll vouch him😙) With a large travelling support expected, there will be extra facilities set up in the ground such as food and drink, but here are some pictures of the stadium taken at the start of the season to give you an idea of what it is like. General view of the ground. The two stands have a total of 800 seats. The Wrexham Lager stand to the left, has 250 seats and houses the players dressing rooms. The long stand to the right has 560 seats. The grass bank, on the opposite side of the ground, complete with palm trees, has been a popular vantage point for visiting supporters all season. There are plans to site an additional bar here on Sunday. A row of seats have been removed from the long stand for wheelchair users, with access via a long ramp. Toilets are at the centre of the Wrexham Lager stand. View from the Long Stand. View from the Wrexham Lager stand Your patience at the "turnstiles" will be very much appreciated. Please note the ground is "cash only". Admission prices: adults £10, concessions £7, under 16s £3. We hope you enjoy your visit, and we look forward to seeing you.

There is an expansion club in League 1 which formed a reserve team this year, and is already producing players for the first team squad. https://northwalescrusaders.co.uk/crusaders-sign-trio-reserves/ https://northwalescrusaders.co.uk/youth-structure-update/ https://northwalescrusaders.co.uk/crusaders-sign-davies-reserves/

More good news in the Leader. And someone on another thread last week said this club does nothing for Welsh RL🙄 http://www.leaderlive.co.uk/sport/16330476.wales-call-up-for-north-wales-crusaders-teenager-morgan-johnson/

Just thinking about the safety of the players. The pitch desperately needs watering and with no rain forecast for the next week, could the rock hard surface put the Whitehaven game in doubt? It's easy to say a pitch is unplayable with six inches of snow on it, but wat about the opposite extreme?

I was talking to a Hunslet fan after the game who had crossed the bridge, but didn't know about the toll. He'd travelled down from Southport, and one or two others based in the north west may have done the same.

The 18-14 "result" is still on teletext. 😁 There was some talk after the game that our first try didn't cross the line, I was behind the goal so can't really comment. Not a nice way to lose but there is an argument that the ref gave us more points than he gave to Hunslet. Have to say I'm concerned about the state of the pitch, with no rain forecast before next weeks home game it desperately needs watering. It's easy to call a game off when there's 6 inches of snow on the ground, but what about the opposite extreme? Thinking about the safety of the players. All the best.

Great support from Hunslet today, hope you enjoyed your day with us in the sun. Apparently some of you were caught out by the toll on the Widnes/Runcorn bridge. If any of you need to pay, please visit the Merseyflow website before midnight tomorrow to avoid any fines. https://www.merseyflow.co.uk/ Good luck for the rest of the season.

Controversial end to a very entertaining game. Lots of talk after the game about tries that perhaps should not gave been given, but everyone including the Hunslet players agreeing that the drop goal should not have been given. Never mind, both sets of players deserve huge respect for the way they played today, 100% from every one of them from start to finish. I believe the crowd was 344, which is 12% up on the same fixture last season. One of the stewards said that 70 Hunslet fans were counted in. Also understand that some Hunslet fans were caught out by the toll on the Widnes/Runcorn bridge. If any of you have been caught out by the toll, please visit the Merseyflow website before midnight tomorrow to avoid any fines. https://www.merseyflow.co.uk/how-to-pay-for-a-crossing

League 1 was a 9 team league, with a league cup warmup in 2013, so this has been done before. Home games every 5 weeks, longer for clubs knocked out of the league cup. I'm sorry but it doesn't work.