FEATHERSTONE ROVERS went into yesterday’s game against Halifax Panthers unbeaten in 2023.
Sean Long’s men had dispatched the likes of Keighley Cougars, Halifax, Whitehaven and Newcastle Thunder in weeks gone by but weren’t 100% against the Bradford Bulls and were far off against the Panthers in their Challenge Cup tie on Sunday.
Featherstone went down 22-18 in a lacklustre performance with head coach Sean Long saying this after the game: “It’s not nice losing especially in the Challenge Cup where the next round could have been a decent draw,” Long told League Express.
“I think we turned up with a lack of intent and composure and it cost us in the end. You can’t do that against a quality side like Halifax. I think they were the better team on the day.”
Now chairman Mark Campbell has had his own say on the past few weeks, responding to a post in the Featherstone Rovers Fans’ Page on Facebook about that defeat yesterday, saying: “I’ve seen this performance coming over the past month and haven’t seen any improvement since we beat a poor keithley (sic – Keighley Cougars) team. Rest assured I won’t tolerate this s**t.”
Campbell has been outspoken on issues of attendances in previous weeks, posting on social media: “We have invested in quality squad and our match day income doesn’t get anywhere near meeting our wage bill.
“Me and Martin (Vickers) have to work really hard to meet our commitments to keep this going and seeing such poor attendances, coupled with everyone going to the Railway or Rovers Return for a cheaper pint makes it an even harder task to justify the investment in time/money.
“This can be a monumental year for the club but if the crowds don’t improve I aren’t working my tail off to subsidise us having this team.”
