BY JOHN DAVIDSON
New Swinton Lions coach Alan Kilshaw says the club wants to be competitive in every competition it plays in next year as they seek to consolidate on their first season back in the Championship.
Swinton were promoted from League 1 at the end of 2022 and finished 10th of 14 teams this year, with nine wins from 27 matches.
Kilshaw will be looking to improve on that result as he makes his return to the second tier after nearly three years with third division outfit Hunslet.
A former Rochdale boss, he also has coaching experience with Sarina Crocodiles and the Mackay Cutters in Australia, and with Warrington and England Academy.
Kilshaw admits the opportunity at the Lions was too good to pass up.
“Coaching in the Championship was a big draw for me, I’ve coached in the Championship before,” he told rugbyleaguehub.com Long Reads.
“I did have a couple of opportunities come up in the course of last season but I just felt I wanted to see out the season with Hunslet and I felt they weren’t as appealing as Swinton.
“But when the job did come up I had a couple of informal chats with Steve Wild the CEO and the board, and I was really impressed with what they had to say, with their ambitions for the club and the support they give to the staff and the players.
“I’ve found that family atmosphere and the support is there – just little things that I’ve asked for in terms of equipment and some resources and staff, and the support with recruitment has been fantastic.
“So I’m finding out lots of good things about the club that I’d already perceived. Prior to that there was a big appeal.
“I live more locally and I also work in Swinton as well so from a logistical point of view it was a no-brainer.
“We have great facilities, we’ve got a good ground and we share facilities at the AJ Bell with Sale and Salford, so there’s opportunities there to collaborate with those two clubs and pick the brains of their coaches and observe some training sessions as well.”
“We’ve had a couple of joint sessions with Salford and had some good conversations with Paul Rowley already, so everything’s in place for us to be successful.”
Kilshaw says his time at Hunslet was “great for him” and wishes the club the best.
“I had an extended period out of the game just due to Covid and Hunslet was an opportunity that came up during the season and it was sort of three jobs in one over the course of the two and a half seasons I was there.,” he said.
“The first year was just to try and make the playoffs. The coach had been sacked there, Gary Thornton, and there was a lot of discontent in the camp and I went in and we made a really good push towards the playoffs and we made the playoffs.
“And then the second year I was there was a transitional season, the club wasn’t sure with IMG and a new structure coming in and they weren’t what to do really with the squad. The budget was cut considerably and we went with a young side.
“That was a really tough season, but I think it was one of my best seasons coaching because we used a lot of players – maybe 45 or 50. We had a young squad and we brought a lot of loans in and it was a transitional year, it was just myself and one assistant coach, we didn’t have a conditioner that season.
“We stripped everything back and it was tough at times, but we really pushed the big guns close. We really pushed the promoted sides hard that year when we played them.
“We had a couple of ding dongs with Swinton and we really held our own against some big spenders. We missed out on the playoffs on points difference, which was unfortunate but I still feel it was a really successful period with how we transitioned.
“Last season we upped what we could do, I was able to bring another coach in, a strength and conditioning coach as well, and some key players and we had a really good season. We pushed Dewsbury all the way.
“It’s fine margins, we missed a kick in front of the posts at Doncaster to draw in the last minute, and we got beat by Dewsbury 12-6 at Good Friday. We got held up over the line four times, and I think we finished three points behind them.
“It was those fine margins really. Our playoff campaign was unsuccessful – that’s plain to see. But it was the highest-place finish for the club since 2014, finishing second in the league and going unbeaten at home in the league.
“In the playoffs there’s a couple of factors why we didn’t perform, maybe me leaving was one and the announcement around that, it could have potentially unsettled the playing ground. I felt it didn’t, but looking back and at the results it could have been a factor.
“We also lost a lot of key players to injury and we had a lot of niggles going into the first and second semi, we were just absolutely busted. But I wish the club well.
“I think there was a real disconnect with the supporters when I took over, and I feel I’ve helped grow that. Put some professionalism in place, I feel the culture’s changed there.
“There’s some really good people there who can add value and hopefully they can continue to grow.”
Swinton enjoy a proud history that dates back to 1866, winning three Challenge Cups and six championships.
The club has signed former Super League players Rhys Williams and Dec Patton, who Kilshaw previously coached at Warrington, for 2024.
The Lions have also snapped up Mikey Wood, Daniel Spencer-Tonks, Jack Houghton, Matty Fletcher, Jack Stevens, Matty Chrimes and Cole Oakley.
There has been a large squad overhaul at the club with veteran Rhodri Lloyd and Mike Butt, Louis Brogan, Kenny Baker, Nick Gregson, Joe Lowe, Calum Hughes, Jonny Opemnshaw, Myles Dalton-Harrop, Ollie Olds and Scott Parnaby all departing.
“I haven’t set any targets for next season,” Kilshaw says.
“The Championship looks more competitive than ever. One of the teams that has come up from League 1, Doncaster, are really recruiting well and obviously, Wakefield have come down and then there are the usual suspects.
“I just want us to improve week in week out. We’ll get a feel of how we’re going through our pre-season, which we’re in week three now in terms of getting those reps in, our training and building connections.
“It’s a new team in essence. We’ve recruited eight or nine players and we’ve retained some as well from last season, and we’ve lost some.
“We’re just improving each week and it will be on us. It’s our responsibility to do well.
“There’s a couple of competitions and we want to be competitive in all of them. The 1895 Cup, the Challenge Cup, and obviously the league.
“We’re just looking to be the best version of ourselves.”
Wakefield, Toulouse and Featherstone are expected to battle it out at the top of the Championship. But there will be strong competition with the likes of Bradford, York, Sheffield, Halifax, Batley and others.
Kilshaw says the Lions have signed a dual registration agreement with a Super League club, which will be announced in the next few weeks.
Swinton have been been given a prospective C grading by IMG, placing them 26th with 7.21 points.
A club statement at the time of the grading described it as “a reasonable reflection of where we have been operating on the field, on average, over the last 3 years”.
Kilshaw feels there is room for growth and that the future is bright for the outfit from Greater Manchester.
“On the IMG grade I know the club was satisfied with that,” he said.
“I know there’s some room for growth there. They know they’re not far off the next grade, but there’s a lot of things going on behind the scenes that I think will take Swinton to the next level and working towards those Bs, those As, which will take time.
“There’s a lot of good stuff going on off the field. They’ve got a women’s team, the foundation are doing a fantastic job, there’s growth there and there is a lot of potential.
“That will come to light this season and leading into next, and it’s exciting times to be involved with Swinton and to be a Swinton fan.”
