History
Here is a brief outline of what has
happened to
the Coventry Crusaders
since the formation of the Diamond League.
Season 1 |
| The
Crusaders started life in the tightly contested Division three upon the formation of the
league with quality teams such as St Austell, Romford and Reading. The season started off
slowly with some good home wins but equally some indifferent performances on the away
tracks. The turning point seemed to come with the arrival of the experienced Mike Connelly
from Marble Arch Marvels from which time the team gelled together to put in some great
results. The highlight of the season was reaching the final of the 4TT and finishing in a
very creditable second place! Towards the end of the league campaign the Crusaders
spectacularly pulled away form the rest of the field and actually finished twelve points
clear of Reading. It is was also noticeable at this point that joining us in division two
next season would be the up and coming Glinton outfit who would be relocating to
Knowle, our sister club. Finishing Position - 1st (71pts) |
Season 2 |
| The
supporters were right to expect big things from the team after the impressive debut in the
league. An early season boost came in the shape of a £40,000 sponsorship deal from Omega
Travel. The early season jitters were clear to see as there were some narrow home
victories together with some poor away showings. The major disappointment came with a home
defeat at the hands of big rivals St Austell Saints, the match in which we lost Lee Askey
to his first of many injuries. At this point we were actually in eighth position in the
table. Moves were made to bring Tim Pearson over from Germany and this could have been the
key to success. After a slow start Tim soon got to grips with the English tracks and the
rest was history. Once into the promotion zone there was no looking back as the team went
on to win the division title by six points over St Austell and Knowle Skaters. The 4TT
competition again proved to be a good one for the 'Omega' Crusaders who finished third
overall in the final. On an individual front star rider Flemming Larsen finished joint
seventh in the GP Series in what turned out to be his final season with the club. Finishing Position - 1st (64pts) |
Season 3 |
| The
'WorldWide T.V' Crusaders were involved in the largest transfer deal in the history of the
league. Number one and long term servant Flemming Larsen was sold to the B'ham City
Slickers for a nominal fee of £250,000. His replacement was Danish sensation Per Vilfort
who signed on the dotted line for £410,000. The £80,000 received from sponsors WorldWide
T.V was put towards building developments at the stadium costing in excess of £1,000,000.
In doing this the club was selected to hold one of the prestigious GP rounds which was
attended by 12,486 fans. Overall it was a great season for the Crusaders who managed to
win their third title in three years, this time the top title. The team also finished
runners up in the 4TT and KOC competitions to round off a fine year. Now its off to defend
the title. Finishing Position -
1st (78pts) |
Season 4 |
| The
season didn't start off as I would have liked being reigning league champions. Some of the
riders weren't performing as they should and changes had to be made. Per Vilfort was
loaned out to Boston. Bohus Keler was signed from Ostrava in our latest record breaking
deal (£440,000) and then loaned out to Stafford after some very poor performances.
Happily both riders have now come into some form so the future does look bright enough.
The last signing was Jozsef Petry from Warley for £400,000. After that move in the
transfer market the team settled down and started winning matches. A mid to top position
in the league was respectable whilst we fell out of the KOC at the quarter final stage.
Success in Europe as we lifted the European Cup and again we reached the final of the 4TT.
Not a bad season overall but now it is time to plan ahead for season five. Finishing Position - 4th (50pts) |
Season 5 |
| Not
the greatest of seasons again for this top line club. The Crusaders
struggled after what looked like a great start. Big improvements from
Barry Dix and some of the other youngsters was offset by some poor form
for heat leaders Tim Pearson and Rob Foster while new signing Jens Erfort
had a nightmare. Changes were made bringing in some new faces. Gary Curtis
was bought from Beverley Hellcats for £400,000 and Allan Reese was
brought in from Holstead for £175,000. Reese struggled a little in the
top flight and was loaned out to the Hellcats in division two for the last
quarter of the season. Curtis on the other hand was a star and increased
his average to nearly ten points a meeting. Another signing came in the
form of young Italian Alex Ferrigno from third division Stafford. He also
rode well and so things look good for the future. During the season the
team line up had changed a great deal which saw the departures of long
time riders Tim Pearson and Rob Foster but the youngsters that replaced
them have settled in well. As for the results, the league was a
disappointment with another fourth place and the European Cup defense
didn't go as planned with a first round exit to Isham. On the plus side
the KOC final appearance was great to be involved in although the 4TT
wasn't as impressive as usual. Yet another average season but I am
confident that the Crusaders can bounce back and achieve what they should
as the league's number one club. Finishing Position - 4th (46pts) |
Season 6 |
| It
is becoming a regular story of late but this big club again failed to
achieve any major honours this season. The league season started well but
things tailed off pretty quickly and the Crusaders again finished in
fourth position. Michael Stag and Mark Sherwood were
both sold to sister club Springfield to balance the books and the first
signing of note in the season was Dominic Evans to join his American team
mate Gary Curtis. Things still didn't really improve and so youngster Alex
Ferrigno was part exchanged with £200,000 for hot prospect John Collins
who later became the World Under 21 Champion. An early KOC exit in round
two to Stafford was compounded by yet another first round exit in the
European Cup - to Isham again! A 4TT semi final slot helped keep the
interest in the season but the big time is sure to return to the Crusaders
eventually. The club hosted the British GP for the second time in it's
history and a record crowd of 20,250 watched the meeting. Changes will be made in season 7 to ensure this is sooner
rather than later. Finishing Position - 4th (50pts) |
Season 7 |
| The
season started very slowly for the Crusaders with a team that didn't look
very competitive. On returning from a business trip changes were made and
things started to look up. Ovano Kollyerski was brought in from Beverley
Hellcats for £300,000 and struggling American Dominic Evans. The decision
proved to be a good one with Ovano settling into life in the top flight
and scoring some useful points. The poor early season form saw the club
make early exits from both the 4TT and the KOC - with no European action
to look forward to. This gave the team time to settle in the league and in
the end a finishing spot of second was achieved, the clubs best result for
four seasons. Gary Curtis made it through to the GP series and held his
own to finish as World Number Six including a win in Poland and a second
in Germany. With the return of Pete Jeffery, next season should be
different still. Watch this space....... Finishing Position - 2nd (56pts) |
Season 8 |
| After
a few years of playing second fiddle to several different teams it was
time for the Crusaders to battle back. The starting line up saw a good
blend of youth and experience with Pete Jeffery at the helm. Ironically it
was Jeffery who was the main disappointment as other riders rose to take
the limelight. Ovano Kollyerski proved what a good signing he was with a
ten point average for most of the season and he was well supported by Gary
Curtis. Shooting to fame was youngster Paul Reynolds who reached a seven
point average for the first time in a while but Gavin Newton was the other
rider to not really improve. The key to success this season was our
reserves - Matthew Sharpe, Tom O'Loughlin, Andy Newman and Matthew Oates
all scored well and were the main reason for a lot of the match wins. The
trophy cabinet ended very full indeed with the League Championship, the
KOC, 4TT and European Cups sitting
proudly behind the glass. A record breaking season - will it ever be
achieved again? Finishing Position - 1st (69pts) |
Season 9 |
| Not
quite up to the standard of last year but it was another fantastic season
for the Crusaders. The league title was sewn up with a couple of weeks to
spare meaning a successful defence of the crown. The European Cup was a
major disappointment with us going out in the first round although that
was to sister club Springfield who managed to do exactly the same to us in
the semi final of the KOC - it has to be said though that Springfield were
winners or runners up in every competition they entered this season. To
talk of individual performances, the rider of the season is clearly Andy
Newman. Starting the season on an assessed 3.00 average, Andy flew from
the tapes in his first race and never really looked back finishing the
season on a figure of 8.25 which he held in a heat leader berth. Ovano
Kollyerski and Gary Curtis were as solid as ever although both were
disappointing in the GP series. The rest of the squad performed well and
we now have a headache to decide who to leave out next year - looking like
making a return though is England international John Collins. Finishing Position - 1st (67pts) |
Season 10 |
| A
disastrous season in all. Things started off
poorly with riders losing form and others not progressing as they should.
Captain Gary Curtis was loaned out to Boston although with a big lack of
transfers he was recalled mid season to try and lift the club out of the
relegation zone. Relegation looked a very large certainty with ten matches
left but the signing of Vince Birkett to replace the out of soughts
Ovano Kollyerski was just what the doctor ordered as the Crusaders
starting picking up some positive victories. The KOC lasted just one
round, as did the European Cup. With the poor league form we didn't even
qualify for the 4TT and we were knocked out of the Divisional Cup by
sister club Springfield in the semi final. We must now look forward to
season 11 although long term target Timo Vitikko looks like he will not be
making the move to the Midlands. Maybe we sit tight with most of the
current squad and take it from there. Finishing Position - 6th (45pts) |
Season 11 |
| Another
poor season for the Crusaders and this has to stop if the franchise is to
continue. The league was again a disaster with Jon Seymour failing in the
top five and things weren't much better from new signing Timo Viitikko who
saw his average drop by three points a meeting. Experienced Jiri Casko was
brought in for a fee in excess of half a million pounds but his scoring
power just wasn't there and it took a loan signing of Jiri Broz to find
someone who could score the big points. Andy Newman went on loan to Boston
to replace Broz but then he rode like a novice and his average dropped to
just over five points a match. Long time servant Gary Curtis was sold
during the season to reduce assets and so for season 12 the Crusaders will
be on the look out for some new talent to lead their campaign. The team
dropped out of the Divisional Cups at the group stage, failed again to
qualify for the 4TT after poor league form although they did reach the
final of the KOC, only to lose out to Brookwood with two defeats.
Relegation could still have happened going into the final two weeks of the
season but two wins with bonus points kept the club in the top flight for
the ninth consecutive season. One bright spot was the Junior Crusaders who
took the title with ease, losing just four matches all season - a record
that will be tough to beat for anyone. Lets; see what season twelve
brings???? Finishing Position - 6th (44pts) |
Season 12 |
| The
glory days returned to Coventry this season, well almost but it was a good
season overall. Second place in the league behind B'ham was a good
achievement and whilst we lost out in the first round of the KOC to Pitsea
there were good performances in other competitions. The European Cup is back
at the Crusaders' home after a good run of results and the Division One Cup
is also in the trophy cabinet. The 4TT hasn't provided much success as far
as winning although this season we were robbed by losing our recently
purchased number one to injury just before the competition started and with
no facility to cover it was impossible to get through the initial round. The
junior side won the title again with ease losing just one match at Boston
and one draw away at Border - a record that shouldn't ever be beaten. During
the season we brought in £1m rated Sami Hagert to join our £1.4m purchase
from the start of the campaign Rustem Fakhrutdinov - this should ensure a
long future for the club who enter a new set up in season 13 with more
restrictions on transfers and stadium building, watch this space.... Finishing Position - 2nd (57pts) |
Season 13 |
| To
follow ..... Finishing Position - ? (?pts) |