SADDLEWORTH RANGERS’ most important victory of the season has come off the field as they have won a dramatic reprieve and avoided relegation from National Conference League, Division One.
Rangers appeared destined to suffer the embarrassment of back-to-back demotions having finished next to bottom of Division One with three teams to go down.
They were saved after mid-table Bradford Dudley Hill were fined and relegated by the league’s management committee for failing to fulfil a fixture while third-bottom Stanley Rangers and last-placedWaterhead were both fined and deducted two points for fielding an ineligible player.
The result of the punishment is that Bradford Dudley Hill, Stanley Rangers and Waterhead are relegated while Rangers escape the drop.
Rangers’ secretary Peter Townsend added that the win against Oulton Raiders in their last game of the season, when nothing appeared to be at stake, proved vital and ultimately saved them from relegation.
He said: “Some might say that we did not deserve to retain our status. Assessed across the whole season, I understand that view.
“I would rather point to the increased levels of commitment, good conduct and effort from the players following the appointment in June of Shane Tupaea as Head Coach.
“Our final game of the season – at home v Oulton Raiders – was a narrow but fully deserved win against a very well organised and disciplined side.
“Oulton came to Shaw Bank Road aiming to secure their highest-ever finish in the National Conference League.
“This was no ‘dead rubber’. We put in an excellent performance that said much about the progress made under Shane. As we now know, the two points hard won from this game secured our Division One status.”
