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All the news from the Crusaders from Season 10 .......

Weeks 39 & 40
An average end to the season - home win, away loss. Building for next season although our main target Vitikko looks a no go due to the Naylor regime not wishing to make changes despite relegation and a good offer. On a positive note, Andy Newman, Jon Seymour and Paul Reynolds have signed contracts for the new season and the purchase of Ross Lawson from Springfield looks almost complete.

Weeks 37 & 38
Guaranteed division one status next season and what a relief! The junior Crusaders managed to finish in the runner up position again which is a credit considering they were mid table at times. Our attention now turns to next season looking at potential riders with hopefully one new name in the line up.

Weeks 35 & 36
A solid week and now it really does look as if the club are safe from the drop. We have seen some improved performances in recent weeks and this was no different and we appear to be riding as a team. The juniors almost pulled off a double maximum 45-9 score but a fall to star Jon Seymour gave Chiseldon that vital extra point although I'm not disappointed with an aggregate score of 88-19. Plans are now focused on next season so watch this space..........

Weeks 33 & 34
It looks as though the Crusaders have finally turned the corner. Two more wins, away at Warley and at home to table topping Beverley, which now means an eight point gap between the club and the drop to division two. New signing Vince Birkett was solid and will hopefully make the difference. Now we look to plan for next season with a number of possible targets, names to remain secret at this stage.

Weeks 31 & 32
A move up the league table into 5th place with two wins out of two. This doesn't mean that we can sit back and relax - every match for the rest of the season is vital if we are to remain in the top flight. The wins were encouraging but we will continue to fight for every point until the end of the campaign. A warm welcome to Vince Birkett who replaces Ovano Kollyerski who has struggled to find his previous form this year. Let's hope Vince is the answer as we increase our assets of English riders with him, Andy (Newman), John (Collins) and Paul (Reynolds) who have good futures in the sport.

Weeks 29 & 30
The nerves are still jangling around Diamond Park stadium as the Crusaders battle for their Division One survival. An away loss at Peckleton by six points was a little disappointing considering Paul Reynolds rode at reserve but he looked race rusty. In the home match he managed a paid 12 score to overhaul Dulwich by ten points. A special mention must go to Jon Seymour - in a junior challenge match with Boston, he became the first rider in the history of the Coventry Crusaders to hit a full 21 point maximum - a credit to him and just shows his ability.

Weeks 27 & 28
A better week although we are not getting over excited. A narrow home win by four points over Tibthorpe was followed by a two point win at Walsall - our first of the season. This takes us out of the bottom three for the first time also - all be it on points difference alone. Matches against Peckleton and Dulwich next week are vital if the Crusaders are to avoid the drop to division two - fingers crossed.

Weeks 25 & 26
The season looks to be over now and relegation is an almost certainty. A home loss in the second leg of the Divisional Cup Final says it all - a disaster. The league matches saw an away draw at Pitsea before again being turned over at home by sister club Springfield and the management must now prepare for a shot at division two where hopefully the club can rebuild and gain promotion to the top flight once more.

Weeks 23 & 24
More misery as the season nears it's end and maybe the end of the club. The management are clearly disillusioned with League HQ and the way the whole league programme is run. The riders connected to the club all of a sudden appear to be very poor and it seems luck is all that is needed to win the championship with which riders decide to be good and which decide they will not. The juniors suffered two more defeats this week against Beverley - the bigger defeat coming at home! As for the seniors, a manager less Warley side come to Diamond Park and draw - what a farce!!

Weeks 21 & 22
Still no real joy although this week did see improved performances from the senior side. At draw at Dulwich was a pretty good result although a last heat 1-5 was very disappointing. Then came the home thrashing of Peckleton by 22 points which hasn't really done us any favours in the average department. Then came the disappointment of losing at home to Malmo in the European Cup first leg - which will see us out of the competition - a 3 point reserve called Thomas KIng doing the damage with 13+1 from five rides. Next week sees the first leg of the Division One cup final against B'ham City Slickers - we can only hope for a slice of fortune to win this one over two legs.

Weeks 19 & 20
It becomes easier to write about poor performances when they occur every week. The win at home to Walsall was welcome but the club look doomed to division two next season for the first time in eight years. Whatever moves we make are wrong and it's just one of those seasons. Times are hard and maybe we might make one last chance before deciding enough is enough.

Weeks 17 & 18
More disappointment for the Crusaders this week - a massive home win against a poor Pitsea side but then loss after loss. A narrow defeat at Walsall means progress in the Divisional Cup - one bright spot at least. The junior side were hammered against Cardiff so clearly cannot stand up to any pressure at all. Roll on the end of the season and division two racing. Welcome to Mitch Leyland who slots in at reserve to hopefully improve the scoring consistency in that area.

Weeks 15 & 16
A ten point home win in the semi final of the Divisional Cup is really the last chance of any success this season. The league looks a disaster with probable relegation on the cards. We have recalled Gary Curtis in exchange for John Collins to add more fire power so fingers crossed.

Weeks 13 & 14
Another dreadful week, the upturn in fortunes looks to have vanished. A home and away loss by two points and the loss of the first bonus point keeps the Crusaders firmly rooted to the bottom of the table. Next week sees the return of Gary Curtis which should add some fire power to the side. John Collins will be leaving on loan. The KOC also sees us out of another competition with just a draw at home resulting in a two point aggregate loss. The juniors bounced back however this week to defeat Boston home and away to reclaim second spot in the division.

Weeks 11 & 12
Things look to be getting better but I just hope it's not too late. The gap at the bottom seems to be increasing and safety looks a long way away. There is light at the end of the tunnel with the possibility of another new face coming into the team shortly. The juniors were poor this week and have a very tough match against Boston next week who are now above us in the table.

Weeks 9 & 10
A better week this time around but things couldn't have got much worse anyway. The arrival of Alvaro Tatti means that Ovano now rides at second string which should help his confidence. A narrow home win over B'ham and a draw at Springfield at least means qualification to the semi finals of the Division One Cup. Greg Boddy has been bought from Bury to improve the reserve positions as we go back to league racing next week and also face Tibthorpe in the KOC. Let's hope for more improvement next week.

Weeks 7 & 8
With two more losses this week the Crusaders hit the bottom of the table for the first time in a long long while. The move has made Hood dip into the transfer market - out goes Dave Siddons and in comes former World Champion Alvaro Tatti who is himself going through a bad spell. Time will tell if they are the right moves but we are on the lookout for new riders. The juniors however remain in good form with two more wins and sit second in the table to Cardiff - the main idea though is to bring riders on and we have a few that might be ready for first team action before the end of the campaign. More building work took place this week with an improvement to the hotel which should help to bring more revenue in although with that and transfers the club spent nearly £1m this week.

Weeks 5 & 6
The season drags on with more unrest as time goes by. At last we have a win at home against Pitsea but it's only in the division cup so let's hope next week gets better as the league season returns. Changes are on the cards as the team is just not performing but more news on this when it is available.

Weeks 3 & 4
More disappointment for the Crusaders this week as the team still await their first win in the campaign. This is the worst start to a season that the club have ever made and things must improve or team changes will be made. It remains to be seen why star rider Ovano Kollyerski has forgotten how to ride a speedway bike and the rest of the team must improve as well. The only bright spark at present is the form of Andy Newman although no blame can be put on Dave Siddons either for the poor start to the season.

Weeks 1 & 2
A very poor start to the season sees the Crusaders in the bottom three of the league table with just one point, that from the home draw with Warley. One bright spot from the match was a 15 point maximum and the new track record for Andy Newman. The team lost away by eight points at Beverley Hellcats which is no disgrace but that cannot be said of the form of Ovano Kollyerski who averaged just over six points in the two meetings. The junior side did start well with two massive wins over the newly formed Springfield junior side. Jim Morris and Jake Williams were unbeaten from both matches which looks promising.

Pre Season
Transfers are going on like mad in the league as a whole but the Crusaders have limited their spending by reducing their overall asset base a little. Tim Bennett has been sold to Boston for £275,000 while Gary Curtis has also joined the Mavericks but this time on a loan deal. Youngsters John McCulloch and Shaun Dawson have been released after some poor form for the club. Incoming sees the return of John Collins to ride in the number one spot this year and Steven Cork and Joe Ness have been signed for £10,000 each from sister club Springfield. The final piece in the jigsaw was the £100,000 signing of Simon Wright from Warley who will start the season heavily training in the Junior squad. Diamond Park Stadium is still the premier venue in the league with a mere £700,000 spent in the last couple of weeks to upgrade the conference centre. We look forward to our pre-season challenge fixtures but cannot wait to get underway in the league to attempt three championships in a row.