The march to Tottenham has begun after our professional performance in disposing of Rochdale Hornets in our opening round.
We were a bit loose at times but after Tom Hopkins’ opening try you never really sensed that we were in danger. The top teams in our division may well have put a bigger score on the board, but we can see the progression from our last gasp victory at the end of last season.
For anyone who cared to listen, I prophesised that we would draw Workington at home and when we were the first two drawn out of the hat I was delighted.
This gives us a realistic opportunity of being in the hat with 11 Super League clubs in the next round, as well as potentially being only one game from the capital via the 1895 cup route. Add to this a home draw and the prospect of a decent crowd and we couldn’t have asked for more.
Not that we should take Workington lightly. They seem to be steadily improving as they get to grips with the Championship, and their fate won’t be decided by losing to the likes of Featherstone and Widnes, who have beaten them so far.
Buy Tickets: PaddyFest at the Raiders
Throughout my life, Workington seem to have a hoodoo over us in cup matches and I can recall a number of defeats at Craven Park when we have been strong favourites. A packed Lancashire Cup tie in the late 70s stays in my mind for some reason. A crowd as good as that evening will do nicely, but hopefully not the result.
Financially, March looks as though it will provide a boost tous, but things are very tight. We have become a much bigger business and need to generate around £125k of income every month to meet all our commitments.
It is a tough ask and relentless. When you achieve your target in March, you then must do it all again in April and then again in every following month.
However, if we are successful this year then we have a blueprint to go forward with. We have completely ripped up the model of just crowds and sponsors paying for the team, and now our events programme and community work is equally as important for growth.
We have a packed programme in March, starting with our Ladies team entering the Challenge Cup against treble winners St Helens on Saturday 12 March. We are hoping for a bumper crowd to cheer the girls on. The next day we entertain Workington in the men’s competition, and then the following Friday is our Paddyfest event.
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Ticket sales have been very strong for this, and we have Cheltenham Races and the Gold Cup televised in the afternoon with Irish Music playing throughout the afternoon and evening. We encourage everyone to dress up in their Irish fancy dress outfits and make it as successful as Oktoberfest that went down a treat. It is likely that we will be doubling our marquee space to fit everyone in.
There needs to be a very quick clear-up operation because we entertain London Broncos on March 20. There will also be the first home outing for our Ladies Reserves side, who entertain West Leeds. The double header starts at noon, with some of the girls having their very first season of competitive rugby league. They all deserve your encouragement.
Our community team also spring into action before the London game with a Health Promotion Day from 9am at the Stadium. We have teamed up with the NHS, Cumbria CVS, MIND, Groundworks, Cumbria County Council, E-nurishment and Massage by Maria to provide a whole range of healthy initiatives.
And then on to the last week of the month and I need to get my crystal ball out again….. Wigan at home please!
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