IT is the end of a very successful year for Barrow Raiders; winning the League One Cup in a pulsating final at Blackpool in May and gaining promotion from League One to the Championship along with transatlantic newcomers Toronto Wolfpack.

The RFL have decided against a rerun of the League One Cup next season, so the good news is that Barrow can hopefully keep the cup indefinitely.

Raiders suffered only four defeats in 2017; twice against Toronto in the league, versus Whitehaven in the league and Leeds Rhinos in the Challenge Cup.

And they were unbeaten at Craven Park, including the pre-season friendlies – which is a very impressive record – and we could do with more of the same in the Championship.

The League One home fixtures were not a major attraction and the attendances were very poor considering the success on the pitch.

The 1,000 attendance mark was rarely surpassed and it became apparent to all the supporters that promotion was a necessity in order to attract new support and boost the revenue.

So I would ask that all of the 3,000-plus supporters who turned up for the play-off final against Whitehaven to become regulars next season as Barrow will undoubtedly need all the support they can get, because every game will be like a play-off final.

Fan-favourite Brad ‘Boom Boom’ Brennan has left for North Wales Crusaders, which is a shame, as a super-fit Brad could have been a force in the Championship.

It was also sad to see Oliver Wilkes leave the club after being a major influence since his return to Craven Park and Andrew Dawson, who always gave 100 per cent during his several seasons at the club.

They have both gone and joined the Leon Pryce revolution at Workington Town alongside several Whitehaven players, although quite a few Town players have gone in the opposite direction.

The surprise for me was the departure of Tee Ritson, the outstanding full-back, who left Town and went and joined fellow League One sie Newcastle Thunder.

I was hoping that Barrow were going to sign him; he is definitely good enough for the Championship and has that x-factor to change a game in an instant.

We know we will be playing Sheffield Eagles in the Summer Bash at Blackpool in May, so our extra game is against opponents who, despite serious problems off the field, have always punched above their weight on it under the stewardship of well-respected coach Mark Aston.

They have been virtual nomads for the past couple of seasons, playing in front of 300 supporters at Belle Vue Wakefield, but next season they have managed to relocate in Sheffield at the Olympic Legacy Park on the site of the old Don Valley stadium.There is still a lot of work to be done to complete the conversion from a sports ground to a sports stadium, with a new 3,000 capacity stand planned. The new permanent home will be a 3G pitch (not another one!) but will not be played on until April as the Eagles' first four League games are all away from home, courtesy of approval from the RFL.

I have never understood why such an exciting team cannot attract substantial support in a Yorkshire city the size of Sheffield. Let’s hope the new home can be the catalyst for a sustainable future.

Unbelievably, Bradford Bulls will start next season in League One and a couple of weeks ago veteran coach John Kear was entrusted with the task of rebuilding club fortunes.

John is one of the sport's most respected coaches and he has left his role as director of rugby at Wakefield Trinity to take over at Odsal. Ex-Barrow winger Dalton Grant has also joined on a one-year deal.

If we can stay up, it’s a fair bet we will also be playing the Bulls in 2019, which will be another attractive money-spinning fixture.

2018 is so important for the Raiders

Happy New Year.