ONE that got away – that’s probably what everyone connected with the club thought about the Sheffield match.

I thought Sheffield looked very sharp and there is no doubt they have strengthened considerably, but we hung in there and deserved at least a share of the spoils. I know we lost, but I think it is going to be the nature of this division that things will be decided at the death.

I can still see progress from the team in terms of performance but the good thing is that there is still improvement to come. Paul Crarey will know better than anyone there were moments when we didn’t keep our composure and I’m sure there will be plenty to talk about in the video sessions.

The crowd of over 1,500 was very heartening, and I’m sure everyone was entertained and can see the progress the team has made. When the crowd make some real noise it provides a tremendous lift to our players. It is now the job of the board to build on that number and I’ll be making it a priority to have initiatives to get the ground full.

Off the field, it is vital we continue to increase and widen our income streams. We now have the Raiders Bar open for Super League fixtures and we plan to make improvements as income grows.

We have already fitted insulation in the loft so it is a lot warmer and new seating arrives this week. We welcome bookings for medium-size functions and, when the weather improves, numbers can spill over to the terracing and pitch.

We were planning at last week’s board meeting and put events in the calendar, including a family fun day on the pitch after teaming up with Cancer Care.

We also plan a couple of music events, a one-off American football game and we are hoping to team up with CanDo FM to put on an open-air boxing event.

Once the finances are secure, my thoughts will turn to the facilities. I have a vision of a hospitality facility the length of one of the try-lines which will be big enough to host our own big functions, provide pre-match dining and double as use for conferences during the week.

It’s only a thought at the moment, but we need to make the steps required to give the RFL no excuses when the team eventually progress to be challenging for promotion.