I more than get your point Bongser but as an Exiled Leyther living in Warrington and being a Wanderers fan to boot, there are far more connections with both clubs than there are with Wigan.

Bolton is a huge Town, and although it may be a little further away, easy to get to and it doesnt stop 20k week in a week out watching an average football team play in Championship 1.

Point ? Nothing to lose, spread the brand, day out and no doubt far more than the 9100 in the previous fixture v the crustmunchers will attend !

Another great win last night, so happy days !

Pies appointed full time development officer to bolton after world cup
they got bit over 20k at that fixture with all the promotion
dont know if pies do any of the fabled marketing around bolton if so what form it takes anyone know?bolton town centre resembles Beirut
we have posters round town and have been into schools i believe including bent and bongs?
think we should look to fill lsv. elvis on the pitch gives us lots more seats

Friday is a must for the big clubs as that is when they fill hospitality

Wikipedia states Leigh`s population is only 41,250.

45,491 Census 2021

....and that's only the registered ones.

Makes the crowd % all the more better!
Hopefully Wire bring a good following next week and fill out the south stand.!

This thing about IMG wanting the likes of Newcastle and London in SL...they can want all they like, but the amount of money needed to turn those teams into viable SL teams is gargantuan by RL standards.

Remember London have had a very wealthy man ploughing money into them for years and they are currently playing in front of crowds of about 300-400 in a horribly inaccessible soccer stadium and languishing in the bottom half of the Championship.

Newcastle have stripped right back, gone back to part time, slashed their budget and look prime candidates to be relegated back to League 1.

Even Toulouse seem relatively cash-strapped, they have played all year without a major jersey sponsor and have been unable/unwilling to make any major signings this year and are struggling accordingly (losing at Sheffield, Bradford, Swinton and Batley).

There's more to building a SL club than just locating it in a big city.

Hello Horsey, is this the year that Fev make it to Super League? It would certainly be a good time for promotion.

Regarding attendances, a big issue appears to be travelling away support on Thursday and Friday nights (especially involving trips across the Pennines). Well supported Leeds only brought a handful of supporters on a Friday. Local derbies are going down a storm, so for me it is better to have teams located closer than further away. If further away then more games need to be televised.

Catalans home games appear far less on Sky than in previous years.

Regarding your first question - maybe, though the table is a bit misleading. We're probably the best team in the division overall, but certainly not so far clear that we couldn't get upset in the play-offs like last year. We are certainly nothing like as dominant as you were by this time last year.

Agree 100% that they should try to feature Lancs v Lancs or Yorks v Yorks games on Thursday/Fridays. M62 is far more palatable on a Sunday (or even Saturday) going either way.

Hello Phantom. Good to see you gracing the forum on this side of the Pennines. I have missed the Leigh/Fev rivalry and fans' banter that we all enjoyed last season, of which you were undoubtedly a part.

From what I have seen of the Championship this season and from what I saw first hand of Fev last season - including that dark wet night on 2nd February - promotion is your likely reward this time.

I understand your caution, because we all appreciate the glorious uncertainty that is sport, but I cannot see a play-off cock-up coming for Fev as happened with Batley last season. What was it with Batley with you boys?

More to the point, Fev have since got rid of Big Mac, who was not the messiah that some thought he was, and who turned out to be something of a weight around the team's collective shoulders.

Fev for promotion for me this season. What should make that prospect even more delicious for you is that it is likely to be at the expense of one of your nearest and dearest local rivals, either Wakey (almost certainly) or Cas (poor but just a little better than Wakey).

Reading the comments of the Wakey fans the realisation that relegation is likely has not escaped them. What they do not seem to realise is that relegation for them, this season, could spell the end of Super League for them, full stop. They are likely to be excluded under the new IMG criteria and part-time Championship level rugby is likely to be their lot for eternity. This is not the season to be relegated.

It is however a very good season to be promoted. So, good luck to your boys for this season and I look forward to our teams' renewing their on-field rivalry next year