Haven face tough trip to Crusaders

By Martin Morgan

Last updated 12:10, Monday, 30 June 2008

Play-off contenders Whitehaven face a six-hour trip to south Wales to play title-chasing Celtic Crusaders on the day of the game next month – as the club cannot afford to shell out over three grand on an overnight stay.

Haven’s financial position has improved hugely since the new board took over at the Recre earlier this year.

But cashflow is still tight, so the team, who yesterday moved back in to an NL1 play-off place with a hard-fought 24-16 win over Dewsbury, face an early start to travel to Bridgend on Saturday, July 19, three days before Celtic learn if they have been awarded a three-year Super League licence.

“The club isn’t in a good enough financial position to go down to Wales the day before the game and spend the night in a hotel,” said coach Ged Stokes,

“In reality that’s £3,500 we just cannot afford, so we will have to do it tough and leave really early in the morning.

“It tells you some of the things the players are dealing with at the moment, and they are doing it willingly for Whitehaven RL.

“Today they did it for Whitehaven RL in one of the hardest games they will have all year, physically.”

Haven traditionally have very few pre-match overnight stays for away games. One notable exception was for the annual four-hour trip to Hull KR, before their promotion to Super League. Its effect on performances was debatable.

Celtic were hammered 44-16 at the Recre in April, though the Welsh outfit demolished visitors Widnes on Thursday night to keep their title bid on track.

Haven led only 12-10 at the break yesterday, producing an improved second-half effort to hold off relegation-threatened Dewsbury, who travelled to West Cumbria on Saturday to prepare for the game.

“We went to the edges too early and didn’t do enough hard work down the middle, and at half-time we talked about a few things,” Stokes added

“I would have been far more disappointed if we had lost the game based on how we played in the first-half. In the second-half I thought our effort was fantastic.

“Everyone is looking at Dewsbury’s performance and the way they played, but we still won the game and outscored them.”