Wakefield Trinity Wildcats coach Chris Chester admits he wasn’t surprised by the decision made by former club Hull KR to sack him: but says he’s got nothing but good things to say about the Robins ahead of his reunion with them tonight.
Chester was sacked by KR earlier this year, before eventually taking the head coach’s job at his hometown club, Wakefield, where he has overseen a dramatic turnaround in fortunes.
But Chester told reporters at his pre-match media conference that he had begun to sense things were going wrong at the club – but says that even despite his sacking, he still wishes the club well for the future.
“No. I got a sense towards the back end of the season before that things weren’t going particularly well,” he said.
“I don’t think I have anything to prove. I got them to a Challenge Cup final for the first time in 30 years and hold no grudges. It’s just one of those unfortunate things that happens in sport where they wanted a fresh change.
“They thought things had gone stale. I can cop that. I dusted myself down and was fortunate enough to get a job here at Wakefield Wildcats that I really enjoy.
“But I wish the club well; it’s a club close to my heart. They gave me my first opportunity – first as an assistant but then as a head coach – and I can’t thank enough people at the top like (chairman) Neil Hudgell, (vice-chairman) Rob Crossland, (CEO) Mike Smith (finance director) Anthony Langley, those kind of people who stood by me during the tough times.”
