Dec. Patton has been targeted by FEATHERSTONE ROVERS in an attempt to enhance their own roster for the 2024 Championship campaign.

Since Frenchman Thomas Lacans’ catastrophic injury, the Championship team has struggled in the second half. Recently, new signing Greg Eden has been playing alongside Paul Turner.

The former Bradford Bulls player tore Featherstone to pieces in the Swinton Lions’ 42-40 victory over Rovers a week ago, so Rovers know all too well how Patton’s excellent kicking game and sharp rugby mind can benefit James Ford’s team.

The return of playmaker Paul Turner and powerful giant Gadwin Springer gave Featherstone Rovers hope, but they were disappointed not to win the game at Sheffield Eagles’ Olympic Legacy Park.

Featherstone was able to field a significantly stronger team after being reduced to almost nothing for the previous game against Swinton thanks to the week off. In addition to Turner and Springer returning, Featherstone also benefited from the participation of four Hull KR players who were on dual registration.

Back rower Luis Johnson, who moved down the road for a two-week stint at Post Office Road after arriving last week on a short-term loan from Castleford Tigers, was also in the starting lineup.​

However, they were still without at least seven first team players, as forwards Jack Bussey, Brad Day, Josh Hardcastle, Moris Kamano, and Nathan Massey were among those who missed the journey to South Yorkshire, along with hooker Harry Bowes and scrum-half Thomas Lacans.

Additionally, since their last game, they have lost teenage centre Oliver Farrar because of employment obligations and Australian prop Jayden Tanner, who left the team for “personal reasons.”

Nonetheless, there is optimism that at least two of the injured players will be able to play when the team returns to the Millennium Stadium on Sunday. Day and Bussey were on the verge of being selected for the first team against Sheffield and were part of the initial 21-man roster, so there should be a stronger 17 the next game.

For head coach James Ford, getting 17 players together for games has been extremely difficult, and the team’s three consecutive losses in the Championship—their first in six years—have demonstrated as much.

Unlucky for Sheffield, their most recent defeat came three minutes from time, when they required a try and goal to win 18–16.

Fev gave a better performance given the circumstances, but they are currently 10 points behind Wakefield Trinity, the only team without a loss, and they are starting to lose sight of the teams in lower divisions.

This Sunday, the sixth-place Rovers will play the York Knights, who enter the match fresh from a 40-0 victory at Dewsbury in their debut match under new head coach Mark Applegarth.

If they can defeat their previous head coach once more, they can catch up to Ford’s team by just two points, and Fev is getting ready for yet another challenging game.

The Featherstone Rovers Learning Disability Super League team represented both the club and the Featherstone Rovers Foundation at an LD SL festival held at Sheffield’s Olympic Legacy Park Community Stadium, sporting their new uniform with pride.

The Featherstone Rovers Learning Disability Super League team represented both the club and the Featherstone Rovers Foundation at an LD SL festival held at Sheffield’s Olympic Legacy Park Community Stadium, sporting their new uniform with pride.

Other local LDSL teams and one hundred participants, including the Sheffield Eagles Foundation, Wakefield Trinity, Halifax Panthers, Hull FC, and Sheffield Mencap squad, gathered for the festival in the sunshine, which was hosted by the Sheffield Eagles Foundation.

“It was an amazing event, with some amazing skills on display and great camaraderie shown by all the players – the smiles at the end of the day said it all,” said Jacob Merrick, LDSL coach at Featherstone Rovers.

The formidable Blue and White LD team also had the honour of leading the Featherstone Rovers team onto the field while donning their brand-new uniforms, which were made possible by sponsorship from Keats Engineering and Education Ltd., Millennium Support, Ross Travel, and Bodyworks Gym.

The Featherstone Rovers Foundation and Millennium Support will be honouring their efforts to support individuals with learning disabilities during National Learning Disability Week, which begins on the day of the event.

Training for the Featherstone Rovers Learning Disability squad is held every Tuesday from 5 to 6 p.m. at the Millennium Support Stadium in Featherstone, WF7 5EN, for anybody who are interested in participating. There is no cost to participate or learn, and new players are always welcome.

In 2024, Featherstone Rovers went through a difficult time off the pitch due to financial difficulties. The club’s failed attempt to move up from the Championship in the 2023 season has left them facing problem after crisis.

According to City AM, the club received a winding-up petition from Investec at the beginning of this month. This comes after player agent Damien Dussault was awarded five county court judgements for unpaid obligations, as inews reported.

With Paddy Handley, a former player for the Leeds Rhinos and Featherstone Rovers, joining the board, things had appeared to be looking up for the West Yorkshire club. This is thought to be a sign of more funding coming into the organisation.

But the club is back in the news for all the wrong reasons because of a public dispute with former player Dane Chisholm.

Featherstone Rovers settle outstanding payment with Chisom

Dane Chisholm and Featherstone Rovers Rovers appear to have reached an agreement as Chisholm disclosed that the club had given him the money that was due. Chisholm played with Featherstone from 2019 to 2022, when he scored 25 tries in 38 games. He made his Featherstone debut in the 2023 season.

In reaction to rumours that Featherstone was considering recruiting three players from the rival Dewsbury Rams, Chisholm tweeted angrily yesterday. “Pay me first, then sign whoever you want,” Chisholm said on the social media platform X, which was once known as Twitter, tagging the Featherstone account.

Chisholm wrote again later that day, saying the club had communicated with him and that the issue was now resolved. He did, however, specifically criticise the RFL for the way they assist its players. According to Chisholm

“I want to thank everyone who has helped me over the past few months. I’ve settled with Fev, and money has been sent. Happy to resume my support for Featherstone and the Super League from this Australian location, RFL.Improve your player assistance so that incidents like this one don’t occur as frequently.

Although Chisholm’s article seemed to put an end to the relationship, Featherstone chairman Mark Campbell responded angrily to the former player. Campbell brought up the club’s backing of Chisholm by claiming that, in his first term as the club, he had spoken insensitively.

For the incident, Chisholm was originally given a lengthy suspension; however, the suspension was revoked on appeal, allowing Chisholm to resume playing. Featherstone expressed their discontent at the time that the ban had ever been maintained because, aside from the accusation, there was no documentation of the incident ever occurring.

Although Campbell doesn’t mention this incident by name in his essay, it’s likely that this is what he’s talking about.

“Who supported you through the racist shit you were charged with n paid for a top lawyer to get you off,” was Campbell’s message to Chisholm. How much did that cost me in pounds? We could have fired you right then and there.

The club has been embroiled in a number of scandals recently, and supporters of the team have severely criticised Campbell for his handling of matters off the field. Earlier this year, Campbell acknowledged that he was solely to blame for the team’s financial difficulties in a statement and declared that he would resign from the position as soon as a qualified group of investors was located.