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We will be a real force in Super League

24/ 7/2008

MALCOLM ALKER COLUMN: D-DAY turned into glee day for everyone connected with Salford – and I for one can’t wait to get stuck into the Super League elite again.

It has been agony waiting for the Rugby Football League to decide on the 14 teams who will make up the new-look Super League from 2009. And I can’t even begin to describe how happy I was when it was confirmed on Tuesday that my beloved Reds have made it. Getting that licence was absolutely crucial.

The future of the club and a lot of livelihoods were at stake. The repercussions of a licensing snub are too grim to even contemplate as far as I’m concerned. But there is no doubt in my mind that Salford deserve to sit among the top table. It is a great club with a fantastic new stadium on the way and Salford ticked the vast majority of the boxes in terms of the licensing criteria.

But you can’t help but feel sorry for the clubs that missed out, particularly Widnes, who have such a rich history in the game. It would have been harsh to leave out any of the 12 current Super League clubs though. And you can understand why Welsh outfit Celtic have been included with the RFL having made it clear that they want to expand Super League beyond it’s English heartland.

The current Super League clubs have a jump-start on us and Celtic with the majority of them having already signed new overseas players for next season. But at Salford we have a lot of players capable of doing well at Super League level. And the fact that our Super League status is secured for at least three years makes us a more attractive proposition for players than ever before.

I have every faith in our coach Shaun McRae bringing in players who will make us a real force to be reckoned with over the course of our initial Super League licence. And, with us not having the threat of relegation to worry about, we no longer have to make quick-fix decisions like we have done in the past.

This truly is the dawn of a new era at the Salford City Reds. I just hope that my body can do me proud for a few more years so that I can play my part in it.

However, there is still plenty to play for this season. We want to go into Super League next year as National League One champions and us players are determined not to take our eye off the ball.

If nothing else, we have Super League squad shirts to play for. Man it feels good to be able to say that!