WHILE North Wales Crusaders ultimately missed out on a spot in the League One play-offs, head coach Carl Forster says there were still positive aspects from the campaign.

Crusaders were part of an epic battle with Midlands Hurricanes and Workington Town to secure the final two spot in the play-offs.

Despite ending the season with a comfortable success against Cornwall, Crusaders missed out on a place in the top-six by just two points.

Looking at his season highlights, Forster selected a thrilling 34-32 home win in mid-June.

He told Crucast: “I think the Workington at home one.

“We were pretty depleted in terms of on the field and I think to need two tries in three minutes and, you know, for us to go and do it.

“Baz (Chris Barratt) scored the winner, which I thought was huge what he was doing at the time and what he fulfilled all season.

“I thought that was the stand-out moment for me.

“But, obviously, going to Workington away and winning under them circumstances.

“We’ve spoke about the negatives in the past, but I think there’s been plenty of positives.”

Forster has made the decision to retire from playing, which means there’s a gap to be filled in the squad.

“We do believe we’ve got people in the group that can step up and just play that link between the halves and the middles, what I tend to normally do,” he stressed.

“But, we’re actively looking. We’re still searching the market, but I do believe we’re going to be fine.”

Although the season has come to a close, it remains a busy time as thoughts turn towards the 2025 campaign.

“We’ve still got a couple of lads to tie down from the current squad,” he added.

“Obviously, I keep saying we’ve go 90 per cent, so that still means we’re probably three or four lads shy away from completing the squad and then your focus turns into pre-season.

“It’s where do you start? What’s the right amount of time that the lads need to rest?

“And the Christmas break, pre-season friendlies.

“So, there’s a lot to take in and account for and, obviously, just me and my staff have got to do what we can to maximise all the potential we can in the playing group.”

Crusaders will host their end-of-season awards on Friday, October 11 at the Ramada Plaza Hotel, Wrexham.