Workington Town rang the changes in 2017 both on and off the field – with mixed results across the park.

On the field, they reached their first objective of making the League One Super 8s but then the season fizzled out like a damp squib.

Off the field was a slightly different story, with a new-look board righting the ship and looking to future-proof the club.

It was a year that saw the emergence of Jamie Doran as a potential game winner and threat to opposition defences.

The former Kells amateur stood out in a season where Town neither hit giddy heights nor plumbed the depths.

It was always going to be a season of change for the club. The drop to League One meant that budgets were obviously reduced.

adjustments

And both on the field and off there were adjustments to keep Town on the straight and narrow and looking to the future. They had brought in a coach who was known for his player development, especially in the youth ranks.

Dave Clark was the former Cumbria Regional Academy coach and the year began with a lot of hope and optimism. There was no confusion in the fact the club stated from the beginning that this was a rebuilding process. Town in 2017, like Rome, was not built in a day.

One key aim was to try and make the team as Cumbrian as possible and draw in some of the top talents from the amateur ranks, while hanging on to the experience already at Derwent Park.

Along with signing some leading amateurs, Town added former Seaton amateur Conor Fitzsimmons on a year-long loan from Castleford Tigers in a sign of intent.

And, hoping for that slice of leadership and experience ex-Super League stars Stuart Howarth and Phil Joseph were also added to the ranks as the season got under way.

Fans were delighted with two quick victories over old rivals Whitehaven back in February.

The first came at Derwent Park in the pre-season Ike Southward Memorial Trophy clash.

Despite a shaky start, Town came back to haunt their opponents who had taken a 10-0 lead in the early stages to win 32-16.

And on-field skipper Carl Forber capped off a brilliant performance with two tries and three conversions.

They followed this up two weeks later with a second victory over Haven, this time in the League Cup, 22-6 to keep the bragging rights.

But hot on the heels of these derby clashes came another pair of tough tests, with two games against Newcastle Thunder.

Town went down very narrowly in both cup and league encounters - but there was an even bigger blow for the club.

Leading youngster Tee Ritson – who had been hotly tipped to make his mark at full-back in 2017 – picked up an injury on Thunder’s artificial pitch.

And it emerged that he had injured the posterior cruciate ligament and although he did not have to go under the knife, he missed a chunk of the season.

There was no immediate impact as Town picked up their first league win of the season at Oxford and followed it up with a home victory over the University of Gloucestershire All Golds.

But then a week later, the same team met the All Golds for a second time and the errors crept in to allow their visitors to put them out of the League Cup.

The clash with Barrow Raiders, hotly tipped for success behind the newcomers Toronto Wolfpack, was next on the list for Town.

It was always going to be a tough ask going to Craven Park but the Workington side didn’t disgrace themselves, despite losing to their county rivals.

But then came the heartbreak for fans as Good Friday loomed, with Haven hitting form and their own faltering.

It was a barnstorming local derby with everything on display but at the final whistle, Whitehaven took the points and the plaudits after a grandstand finish.

The visitors were leading 16-0 at half time and it looked dire for Workington, who had made a number of unforced errors to hand Haven field position.

But it was a real game of two halves as Town came back in the second half and took the lead with 17 minutes remaining.

However, they couldn’t hang on and another mistake allowed Haven to sneak in near the end and snatch the points.

Joe Hambley was on the scoresheet in the clash and also one of the success stories of the year.

He finished the year as the club’s top try scorer and his attacking prowess earned him plaudits from the home fans.

Into May and there were two convincing wins for Town as they set their sights on the top eight target, beating Hemel Stags and South Wales Ironmen but they were stopped in their tracks at Hunslet with another narrow loss.

June saw defeat to Doncaster, again by just four points, followed by a single-point victory at the home of North Wales Crusaders.

Then came the event many fans were awaiting, the visit of the high-flying Wolfpack.

But, in true Cumbrian fashion, this game did not go off without a hitch.

Kick off was delayed for over two hours after officials and some players were caught up in tailbacks from an accident on the M6.

Toronto returned to their hotel and there was a further delay before they returned, and that disrupted preparations.

Workington played the second half with just one substitute after injuries to Joe Hambley and Phil Joseph but their opponents knew they had been in a game, despite winning 58-12.

Town again got back on track with wins over Coventry and London Skolars.

The Skolars game saw Tee Ritson cap a memorable comeback from injury with four tries. The full-back had notched a hat-trick by half-time and added a fourth after the break.

And although the match perhaps belonged to Ritson, Doran also took a share of the honours with a superb length of the field try.

Town then scraped a draw in a game they should have won at home to Keighley.

Town were 22-4 ahead at the break and should have shown a clean pair of heels to their visitors.

But instead, a Keighley side reduced to 12-men and inspired by the returning Ritchie Hawkyard, clawed their way back and nearly won the game in the final seconds.

Following this Town suffered defeat at York but still finished in eight position, just enough to scrape into the Super 8s for the season finale.

This began well, as Town gained revenge for their early season defeat at the hands of Newcastle, by beating them on their turf 30-14.

But, as the story of the season unfolded, Town went from excitement to despair, as Toronto made their second appearance at Derwent Park.

And this time they were in determined mood and steamrollered their hosts to win 68-0.

Next in line was another trip to York and although Town put up an improved showing, the result did not go their way. Tries from Phil Lister, Macauley Davies and Joe Hambley kept the scoreline close but York took the honours 28-18.

Doncaster then arrived at Derwent Park and in a tense finale, Town edged out the game 22-21.

It was a close game throughout but when Doncaster scored a converted try with two minutes to go, Town fans held their breath hoping that their side could hang on to their one-point lead – which they duly did.

Barrow put themselves within touching distance of promotion (which they eventually sealed at the expense of Haven) when they beat Town 36-14.

And Town saw their season slip away from them with a loss at Keighley and then a shocker against Whitehaven in the last game of the season that saw them go under 56-6 at Derwent Park.

This eventually heralded the departure of Clark from Workington and in came a new man at the helm for 2018.

Nobody can argue with the pedigree of former GB international Leon Pryce and he begun to assemble his own team to take another tilt at League 1.

There have been plenty of comings and goings at the club and now we have to wait and see where 2018 will lead?