Congratulations to the Chemics, always loved going to watch the likes of Tom Smith, George Kemel, the Major brothers Keith Elwell and all the other players who donned the famous black and white hooped shirt, hopefully we can resurrect the Easter Monday fixture. "Well done to all concerned"

Yeah Congratulations Widnes wish you all the best guys

Congratulations and good luck to Widnes from a barrow fan hope to see you up there in 2015

Congratulations Widnes. Long overdue. Anyone who thinks RL isn't capable of singling out clubs for shoddy treatment needs to take a long hard look at the way your club has been treated over the last 15 or so years.



But all that is history now. Best of luck (apart from against Wigan!)

Just got back from a few days away. Congratulations on your successful bid and good look for the future. Hopefully we might yet still be there with you. IMO your elevation to the top table is well deserved based on the criteria required.

Badwanger: Sculthorpe better than Hanley? Give over.

Paul Sculthorpe represented the dying embers of the skilful ball-playing loose-forward and/or stand-off now defunct in RL here. Before him there were at least several throughout the 30 years prior to SL's inception who were a class above him in those positions, and the necessary all-round skills to play in them.

Sculthorpe was a fine player in the "modern" version of RL here. Yet more so because of the size, power and speed fundamental to our laboured attempts to play the Aussies at their own game at international level.

Hanley was a one-off; a brilliantly gifted and powerful player of the sort you can only see once in a generation. If you're lucky.

Sculthorpe wasnt in the same universe as Ellery Hanley, never mind the same class!

robbierotten: Brough is the kind of stand-off (if your comparison is that of he and Sam Tomkins in this position) with the expert kicking game so important in modern RL. No doubt about that.

In recent years he has improved his all-round game to include an ability to make the occasional incisive break, and a degree of ball-handling that stands out more because of the demise of great exponents of this skill these past 16 years.

He is a very good player but only insofar as the requirements (less in number in my view than, say, 20/25 years ago) inherent to being a top player in modern RL. Of course, that's enough and I don't deny it.

However, Tomkins so much reminds me (when playing stand-off) of one of RL's all-time greats in my book. Someone who sadly passed away not too long ago at a relatively young age - David Topliss.

If Sam Tomkins can mature into being a player of similar overall ability, then he will wipe the floor with Danny Brough.

Congratulations Widnes, as has already been said, it's long overdue.

Welcome back!

Yep, belting news. A proper Rugby League club back where it belongs. Always had a soft spot for you guys. Delighted. Hopefully Fax will join you at the expense of Wakefield and Crusaders. Shame the Welsh appear untouchable though....

Well done Widnes.



Just dont forget your mates down here when you are in the lofty heights of SL and dont get the same dose of amnesia some Cas and HKR fans have when it comes to attitude towards clubs in the Championship



Show SL what a club from the Championship can do and fly the flag for us poor forgotten souls