fearnowt

Highlights from yesterday's game in Colwyn Bay. https://www.nwcrusaders.co.uk/post/highlights-crusaders-20-14-midlands

Bless you my son.

First home game of the season, first day of British Summer Time and bright blue skies here in Wrexham. Breakfast this morning in the appropriately name "The Midland" pub and then off to a slightly warmer Colwyn Bay. I think I've picked a good day to book the day off work. Looking forward to a really good game, obviously hoping for a Cru win, but I think it's going to be close either way.

This is a ground record for rugby league, and our first four figure home attendance since our only season in the Championship in 2013.

Best pubs are in Old Colwyn, all within about a mile and a half of the ground. The Sun Inn and the Cuckoo have a decent choice of ales. Leave the A55 at junction 22, signposted Old Colwyn, at the roundabout at the top of the hill Old Colwyn is to the left and the ground to the right. Having said that, the club are introducing a fan zone at the ground starting at 12:00, and the supporters bus from Wrexham is setting off early to get there for it. Have a safe journey and hope you have a great day out. https://www.nwcrusaders.co.uk/post/swinton-five-talking-points

Forget Ryan and Rob, they're not interested. I don't know when our documentary is launching, but some of it was being filmed in the Turf pub next to the Racecourse last month. https://www.nwcrusaders.co.uk/post/crusaders-confirm-documentary-launch-1 Well done to York for getting theirs out first, hope it's a success and sets the standard for others to follow.

I was talking to one of the guys involved in what is a complete overhaul of the off field side of the club, especially communication and supporter involvement. The problem with the old website is that the director who built it has left the club and has taken the passwords etc with him, which is especially annoying to those of us who contributed towards the cost of building it through the supporters trust. Ironically, it replaced the previous website for similar reasons, and I remember it took some time to redirect the google search. Hopefully it will be rectified sooner rather than later, but thanks for making a very valid point, I'll pass it on when I get the chance.

Just realised that the club's website address has been changed, and very nice it looks too now I have found it! I was wanting to find out about the new membership scheme, but when I googled the club name there was nothing on the website. Anyway, looked on facebook (which I don't have an account for) and there was a link to the membership section on the website, that's when I noticed that it's basically a new website. As someone who doesn't do social media, I have to say that I am very pleased to see an up to date club website which appears to be updated almost on a daily basis, and very grateful to the volunteers giving up their time to make this possible. https://www.nwcrusaders.co.uk/

When Gateshead Thunder visited the Racecourse in our first season as North Wales Crusaders, 2012, our then CEO somewhat ungraciously offered a full refund for the hospitality boxes if we lost. Thunder were on a two year losing streak at the time. Right in the middle of the Crusaders fans, there were two Thunder fans who sang and chanted at the top of their voices. After about half an hour they stopped for a rest and the 1,000 or so Crusaders fans who had been sitting in silence listening to them, burst into applause. One of my favourite moments watching this game, and the inspiration for the support we give our team today. I know it's inconvenient waiting to find out what kind of league we will have next year and how many teams are going to be in it (lets face it we are used to it at this level), but I really hope it includes a team from the north east. Come on Thunder!

Disappointed to see us at the bottom of this table but not really surprised after the ground issues we had this year, hopefully a full season of home games on our home ground will see an improvement in points scored, even if we don't move up this particular "table". It would also be interesting to see how we would compare with London Skolars and West Wales Raiders had they survived. I have not looked at the criteria for this grading, but we do have a foundation which is growing, a women's team formed this year which I believe has attracted up to 40 players (the majority if not all of them Welsh players), and our wheelchair team won the Championship grand final, only to be denied promotion to Super League because is is apparently "invitation only". Never mind, the squad building has started for next year so I for one am going to take this grading with a pinch of salt. The real issue for all the clubs in League 1 right now is what kind of league will be playing in next year.

Congratulations to Doncaster. As plenty of others have said, the defence won it. That blue wall just couldn't be broken (well, just the once ). Best of luck to you in the Championship, hopefully you can keep the momentum going and make a real success of it. As for the Cru, I think we missed Rob Massam yesterday but really couldn't be prouder of the team. In fairness, we're not ready for the Championship and I think it would have been a step too far anyway. But what a difference a year makes, from rock bottom morale bordering on despair last year, to feeling full of confidence and hope today. We might have lost the game yesterday, but by our own measure of success we feel like winners.

Just about to set off for the big game as per the normal away day ritual. Walk to Wetherspoons for a big breakfast, where some of our regular fans have the same thing in mind. Then walk up to the Turf pub, outside our original home ground, the Racecourse, for the bus to the game. The usual ritual just like any other away game, but this isn't just any other away game. This time last year we didn't have a team coach, and there was a news blackout from the club as our CEO battled behind the scenes to persuade players to sign up for another year. Just 8 weeks ago at a rain soaked Rhyl rugby club we were losing 40-4 at half time against Cornwall. You would never have said in a month of Sundays that we would reach the promotion grand final but that half time was the turning point, and through the playoffs we have quite literally got here in a month of Sundays! I don't like making predictions but I will say that I am very, very confident, but also realistic. I said before the Workington game that we we're all treating it as a cup final, we're just going to enjoy it whatever the result but on the other hand, you play in cup finals to win. This time it's for real! I know that Doncaster will be brilliant hosts today, at what is easily the best venue for the occasion. It's going to be a great day, bring it on!

https://www.bbc.com/sport/wales/66896299

Another little piece from our friend Shaun Davies in the Wrexham Leader tonight. https://www.leaderlive.co.uk/sport/23804713.north-wales-crusaders-face-doncaster-showpiece-final/

Great to hear about the local interest in this game. It will be great to see a big crowd to reward the players of both sides who have worked so hard to get to this point. There is more interest from our end as well, despite having to rely almost entirely on word of mouth. We don't get any media attention in North Wales, apart from one sports writer keeping us on the sports pages of the Wrexham Leader. Fair play to him, he's written something about us every day since the Oldham game. https://www.leaderlive.co.uk/sport/23804627.cru-coach-carl-wants-reward-crazy-passionate-fans/ I'm guessing we'll have about 300 fans at the game, making plenty of noise as usual. We've already exceeded our expectations for the season so no pressure on the team or the fans at all. Whatever the result, it's going to be a great occasion.

Please tell me I'm not dreaming. If I am, please don't wake me up.

Just a quick question about Sunday. Can anyone tell me where the Cru fans will be sitting in the stadium? I'm looking at buying tickets in advance, and the website asks to select a block. With the seats being unreserved, are you meant to sit in the block allocated to the ticket, or can you sit anywhere available in the stadium? Thanks.

I didn't so much find the club, it found me. The same can be said by the majority of Cru fans, as the club was only formed in November 2011, after the liquidation of the old Crusaders club. Despite all the adversity we have been through over the years, we are the longest surviving semi professional club in Wales, something we are all incredibly proud of. We are now down to a small band of loyal supporters and a board who are more like magicians than directors. We don't have two pennies to rub together, and for much of this season we didn't have a home ground, and the team spirit shown by our players this year is something that money can't buy, absolutely priceless. While it would have been nice to see a few more fans there yesterday, and it would be nice to see a few more next Sunday, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, or with anyone else.

Very sad news. Always enjoyed the trip to Skolars, especially the Friday night game ten years ago, it was a brilliant atmosphere that night and a very competitive game. Wishing everyone at London Skolars all the very best for the future.

I had to miss the return to Colwyn Bay because of work, so really pleased to be able to go to another game. Considering what we have had to put up with this year with the ground issues, the team have done remarkably well to reach the playoffs, and we are going to Workington with the attitude that this is our cup final and we have nothing to lose. Having said that, teams do play in cup finals to win. Not going to predict the result, just hope we see a game as good as the weather forecast and we have a great day out.

Appreciate what you're saying, but I don't think the spectators are any further away from the pitch than Eirias Park, New River or South Leeds Stadium, the point is that we would be 30 miles closer to the fans who mostly live in Wrexham and Flitshire. It's also just 7 miles from the M56, so also much closer for the majority of visiting supporters. You're right about the bar facilities (or lack of them), but we've coped without a bar before at Queensway and Eirias Park, (there is I am told a very good pub near the ground). The point is we need stability, and with no football or rugby clubs currently playing at Deeside, there should be the potential to mark the pitch permanently for rugby league. A chance to get on with stabilising the club without being given no more than a weeks notice to go and find somewhere else to play because there's an "r" in the month, or some other excuse. We don't need a Championship standard ground in League 1, and if we do get promoted, we can go back to Colwyn Bay, by which time we should be a more attractive proposition to be treated with more respect than we have been this year. After speaking with the Chairman and other directors on Sunday, we will be back in Colwyn Bay next year, but I get the impression not surprisingly that trust is in short supply, so having a back up plan would be a good idea.

We won't be going back to Rhyl, that was a one off because of the junior tournament which obviously should have been held at Eirias Park. Lots of families had booked the weekend in North Wales for this event months ago. I know the club are grateful to the RFL for allowing the game to go ahead, despite the venue not being up to League 1 standard, and are also grateful to Rhyl rugby club for having us. The club met with Conwy Council regarding Eirias Park last week. Apparently they are offering us several free games next year (there are plenty of us who think they should offer us a season for free) and use of an on site bar which we have not had before. Some of us are touting Deeside Stadium as a new home ground, now that Connah's Quay Nomads football club have moved out. It's up to Welsh Premier football standard, which is a similar standard if not better, than League 1 rugby league. I think the club are showing an interest, even if it is only as a back up plan. https://footballgroundguide.com/leagues/welsh-premier-league-clubs/gap-connahs-quay.html

The ultimate game of two halves, 4-40 first half, 34-0 second half. Cornwall win on aggregate. First half probably the worst we've seen Cru play in 12 years, but you can only play what's in front of you, so full credit to Cornwall for taking full advantage. Thoroughly deserved the win, so well done Cornwall.

We have tried approaching Wrexham FC and they are not interested. I personally wrote to the executive director of Wrexham FC two months ago, both by email and recorded delivery post. I followed the club for 42 years before I stopped going 12 years ago and I have left my legacy there in the form of the Guinness World Record for the oldest international football ground in the world, which is still registered in my name. I sent a three page cover letter, which I think was pretty convincing in my argument for rugby league at the ground, also all the details about the world record, and copies of stories from the local press in Oldham about their return to Boundary Park. 17 pages in total. I have not had the courtesy of a reply. The board at North Wales Crusaders followed up my approaches but have also been ignored. I have heard a few tales from lifelong Wrexham fans who think the football club don't give a toss about them and only care about money. If we had the kind of money that would raise their eyebrows just one millimetre, we'd be stupid not to spend it on building our own ground.

The club have tonight issued the following statement confirming the venues of the next two home games: The club can now confirm that the next two home games will be played on the road as Stadiwm CSM is unavailable. On Sunday 30th July Rhyl RFC will play host to Cornwall RLFC kicking off at 2:30pm. A bumper day of rugby league is expected as pre-game will see the kids festival in association with the North Wales Crusaders foundation and with many participants staying in the Colwyn Bay area it was essential to find a venue nearby. On Sunday 6th August we will return to Chester RFC as we host Doncaster with a 2:30pm kick off. We very much hope we will be able to return to Colwyn Bay for our last regular fixture against London Skolars on Sunday 26th August. We were informed last week that the next two games frustratingly were not able to be played in Colwyn Bay. While we appreciate that this is frustrating for all involved, we have tried everything possible to make these games go ahead. The club needs everyone's support at this time. The financial and logistical issues that this has caused is taking its toll at present. We have a meeting this week with Conwy Council to discuss what happens going forward.