As I write this post my heart still burns from the loss tonight.  I feel sorry that our fans won’t see us in Nottingham next weekend and my players won’t get a chance to experience the final 4 weekend.  I’m sad that the last game played in some of their careers ended this way.  It’s a tough way to lose on an aggregate situation. But one game will not define what we did this year as an organization.

We took an 8th place team to a conference title and a  2nd place finish. We had the 10th lowest budget in the league and with help from the University of Salford, we were able to maximize every penny.  We brought in a great leadership group along with a load of rookies. We are damn proud of what we accomplished this season and falling one goal short will not define this group. I hope our fans see the progress and continue to spread positivity of where this club is going.

We will learn from this and get better. We are a young club that still has a lot growing to do.  We made huge strides this season and we will look to get to improve next season.  I want our fans to stay even keel and understand that we are still a very small club that competes with the big boys for trophies every season. Please don’t undervalue what we accomplished this season, the players gave everything they had.  We have 4-5 players that most likely need Surgery now but they wanted to battle through the pain barrier last 2-3 weeks to ensure League and Conference success.  Tonight, I saw the human side of this amazing group of men.  We looked broken down and tired and in the end, we simply ran out of gas. I’m so proud to have had the opportunity to coach this team and I’ll always be proud of what we accomplished here this year.  Manchester is where my daughter was born and myself & Emma have made a home here and met some of the best people along the way.  Thank you for all your support and I wish all a great summer and we will see you soon.

Finally, I want to thank all my staff, players, volunteers, OSC, sponsors, especially Wes and Sally from Go Goodwins, and of course the fans for your support this season.  It’s been one hell of a ride and I loved every second.

See you in August Storm Fans!!