SWINTON LIONS chief executive Steve Wild said maintaining Championship status is “massive” for the club as he sympathised with Keighley Cougars over their relegation back to League One.
The pair were promoted alongside each other last season, Keighley as third-tier champions and Swinton through the play-offs, and along with Whitehaven and Barrow Raiders, were in danger going into the final round.
Keighley followed already-doomed Newcastle Thunder through the trapdoor on points difference from Whitehaven while Swinton finished above Barrow in tenth after winning 22-12 at Halifax, who lost out on a play-off place as a result.
“I’m really proud of the achievement,” said Wild as Swinton prepare for the arrival of Alan Kilshaw as coach in succession to Widnes-bound Allan Coleman.
“A lot of people said we’d go straight back down, and it’s nice to have proved them wrong.
“I think people underestimate the size of the gap between League One and the Championship, and to consolidate our status on the budget we have is massive and gives us a platform from which to push on.
“We’re now able to tidy up our retention and recruitment having had to give dual-offers to players, and we should make progress on that soon.
“We have taken some great scalps this season such as Toulouse, Widnes, Sheffield and Halifax, and finishing tenth is an excellent achievement which we think Alan Kilshaw can build on.
“I’m really happy for Allan Coleman, who has done a great job for this club, and wish him well at Widnes. It was a big decision for him to move there and wasn’t taken lightly.
“But I feel for Keighley, because going down with 16 points must be tough to take. Hopefully they can bounce back.”
