28th February. Update. The Rochdale Hornets game will now take place on Tuesday 2 March at 1945 GMT and is switched to Warrington's Halliwell Jones Stadium due to a fixture clash with Rochdale FC.

Game Called Off, the 4th round draw of the Powergen Challenge Cup : Rochdale Hornets v Warrington Wolves at Spotland has been called off today due to weather conditions. Rochdale conducted a pitch inspection at 9.00am this morning and decided to call the game off for safety reasons (i.e. frozen pitch). Both clubs are now trying to organise a replay and details of this game will be forthcoming.

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26th February. Paul Cullen is expecting a tough batle against Richdale on Saturday, he revealed he still has the scars from when he last met them as a player Cullen adds: "Bobbie Goulding will have a side as well prepared as he can given the circumstances and they will certainly be fired up for this match. "If we go there and we are casual, the big units that Rochdale have and there are a lot of ex-Super League players there will sniff out the disrespect if there is any. "We defeated Wakefield on Saturday and left The Halliwell Jones Stadium after hitting the proteins, the ice and medics table, to go over to David Lloyds for a training session, "The players had Sunday off but we trained flat out on Monday in a very tough and intense session so under no circumstances have we taken the foot off the gas." Rochdale's former Super League professionals include Barren Shaw and Warrington-born Andy Leathern, who enjoyed a double-winning season with St Helens before a loan stint with Wolves during Darryl Van de Velde's reign. Former Great Britain scrum half Goulding, many times the thorn in the side of Warrington while at Saints, Huddersfield, Wakefield, Leeds, Wigan and Widnes, is not believed to be in the running to put boots on himself for Saturday's clash, which kicks off at Spotland at 3pm.Cullen will make changes to the side that opened the season and Jerome Guisset, lan Sibbit, Daryl Cardiss, Warren Stevens and Nick Owen are the probables to make first appearances of the season. Cullen says: "Any changes I make will be for guys who have picked up bumps and bruises, or those who I don't necessarily need to see play in the Challenge Cup at this stage, or those I rotate to examine options. Any changes would also be to put down some genuine challenge for positions with regards to the team against Hull the following week." And on about the scar on Cullen's cheek bone, he says: "There was an ex-Wigan stand off playing for Rochdale who got me before I got him. He caught me with an elbow and I still bare the scar. I had my face split open. I'd forgotten all about that."

It is certainly turning into quite a week for Wolves prop forward Danny Lima. The Western Samoan's partner Serene is expecting to give birth to a brother for their 22-months-old daughter Kaliyah over the next few days in Australia. He went a long way to winning over Wire fans with his powerful display against Wakefield with a power-pack debut performance on the opening night at The Halliwell Jones Stadium. Although he will be absent for the forthcoming birth of his son, the 28-year-old former Manly p;ayer has no regrets about moving to Britain. He said: "I can't wait for my family to come over here and join me. It will be great to have some family support. "I know my Mrs is going to be going through a lot back in Australia and I probably won't get much sleep thinking about it. "But because I came over here to concentrate on playing professional football I have to try and block it out and she knows that. I still can't wait to see them all." Lima is hoping he is selected against Rochdale Hornets in the Powergen Challenge Cup on Saturday. Supporters saw enough in Lima's 40 minutes on the field against Wakefield to know he will have a big contribution to make through the rest of the season. Lima's defence-busting runs had the crowds on their feet and he has habit in the open side prop position of hooking the ball when the opposition scrum half is feeding the scrum. The one he won against the feed against Wakefield led to Lee Briers' match-turning try. Lima said: "Last year with Manly at every scrum I tried to have a crack at the scrum half's feed. On Saturday it came off and I'm really happy that Brier-sy scored between the posts from it. I will be trying that again."

24th February.PRESS STATEMENT: Wolves v Wakefield A preliminary meeting has been held between the Club and Council Officials. The Police have been contacted by the Club for their views in regards to the match on Saturday 21 February at The Halliwell Jones Stadium. There have been rumours in the media that up to 2000 fans were locked out of the stadium - this is untrue. The match was a sell-out and our turnstile monitoring equipment confirms that 13,943 fans, in total, were in the Stadium prior to kick-off. In the south and west stands the internal concourses were full with supporters trying to access the standing terraces, unfortunately the early arrivals on the terraces were reluctant to make room for those late arrivals. Ensuring the safety of spectators is the Club's priority. The safety team on duty took the decision to close the turnstiles temporarily on the south stand at 5.28pm and on the west stand at 6.00pm whilst those fans inside were moved into the terracing area. This message was transmitted over the external PA. However, we understand that not everyone was aware of the situation. At 6.22 pm several turnstiles were re-opened and those fans who waited were let into the ground, albeit late. We have studied the CCTV coverage of this situation and estimate that there were no more than 250 spectators outside the ground at 6.00pm. The Club sincerely apologies to those fans that did not gain entry for whatever the reason and all lessons learnt by the club will be acted upon for the future. We will be contacting the fans that were unable to gain entry to the game and who have since contacted the Club. The Club is seeking to re-dress each case individually.

23rd February. Forged tickets are said to have caused severe congestion at the Halliwell Jones Stadium on saturday night, with computers telling staff that the 14,206 capacity had been reached before kick off, Police advised that turnstiles be shut on safety grounds even though people with genuine tickets and season ticket holders were still outside. The club issued an apology to people who were refused admission and promised a full enquiry which will involve the police to find the source of the forgeries.A statement will be issued before noon tomorrow with the results of the enquiry Tuesday 24th February.

22nd February. Warrington 34 Wakefield Trinity 20. A night of high emotion on the first game at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, a full house of 14.206 TV Cameras in attendance and an expectant crowd, it could have all gone pearshaped but Wire came out determined not to let that happen agood first half followed by two quick Paul wood tries in the second half plus a brilliant score by Briers straight from a ball received via a strike against the head at the scrum sealed it for The Wire.Wakefield scored 3 good tries in the second half without reply but warrington hung on for a good win. Warrington Tries:Paul Wood 2, Gaskell, Briers, Nathan Wood, Goals Briers 7. Wakefield Tries: Jeffries, Ryder, Rooney, Halpenny, Goals Rooney 2.

21st February.As I write this in two hours after 106 years at Wilderspool Stadium Warrington Wolves will entertain the biggest crowd for a Warrington game in 30 years The Wire as a lot of fans call the club will finally leave the old ground and play their first game at the Halliwell Jones Stadium ,fans who attended the open day last Sunday including yours truly astounded club officials when 3,500 turned up which allowed the club to test safety procedures under the eagle eye of safety officials, the new club shop sold out in hours of openong as fans descended like locusts to buy up practically everything on offer.

ONE of the finest sporting venues of the north west that's the Halliwell Jones Stadium, built at a cost of £12 millions. It has an official capacity of 14,206, half seated and half standing. Just under 100,000 people attended league matches at Wilderspool last season, the largest total for many years, but if success is achieved on the field in 2004 that figure could be nearly doubled in Super League Nine. Such was the experience of Hull last season when they took possession of their new KG Stadium and that with an indifferent season on the pitch. The Halliwell Jones has nine executive boxes for match day hospitality and which have all been sold for the season along with variable sized function rooms and a main conference and banqueting suite that can accommodate up to 450 people, making it the largest such facility in the town. The Platinum Club is an exclusive facility for 100 people while the vice-presidents' club is a 200-member organisation. There are excellent facilities for the disabled all round the stadium and the view from every vantage point is second to none. Efforts have also been made to increase the space between the seats enabling people to pass along the rows rather more easily than at Wilderspool. Located on Winwick Road on the old Carlsberg Tetley brewery site it is close to the M62 along which most visiting Rugby League club supporters will travel to Warrington. It is also just a one hours' drive for more than seven million people and two hours' drive for a third of the population of England and Wales. The playing pitch will be the largest in Super League and it is capable also of staging soccer and Rugby Union. Naturally, there are hopes also that the ground will become a venue for representative Rugby League in the years ahead. The whole concept of a new home for the Wolves was formulated following the publication of the Framing for the Future document produced ' by Super League following its inception in 1996. Source Warrington Guardian,A.Domville.

19th February.Paul Cullen intends to keep his players' calm as Tetley's Super League IX arrives to start a new Warrington Wolves era at The Halliwell Jones Stadium. After six sometimes trauma filled years in the making, the £12m new arena is set to be packed to capacity with excited Wolves fans for the televised historic meeting with Wakefield Trinity Wildcats on Saturday, kick-off 6pm. Everyone connected with the club wants it to be a night to remember and enjoy. But head coach Cullen, while wanting the people of Warrington to come out in force to get behind his 2004 team, can not afford for his players to get carried away with the enormity of the occasion because all that matters to them is two winning points. ( He said: "The players do want to be a part of history. We want to walk out at The Halliwell Jones Stadium and walk past 'sold out' signs. "There was only ever one last game at Wilderspool, and that was the final Super League game against Wakefield. And there will only ever be one first game at The Halliwell Jones Stadium, which ironically is against Wakefield again. "I think we're creating a phenomenon within our club with people being able to say 'I was there for both occasions'. "We finished off at Wilderspool Stadium in fantastic style and we need to open up the Halliwell Jones Stadium in a similar manner. "There's an awful lot of excitement about the new stadium and what's going to happen before and after the game. To be honest, for the players and me it is almost an irrelevance. "As a coach I need to be very wary that the emotion and circumstances of the situation doesn't get beyond what we're about, which is putting 17 players on a field to win a game of rugby. "We achieved that and managed the emotions very well in the final game at Wilderspool. Again, we have to focus on winning the game and then after the final hooter we can sit back and reflect on what we've achieved.Cullen said that over the past few weeks one of his toughest jobs has been holding back his match-hungry troops, who are eager to show their true colours to supporters after playing pre-season friendlies in a fatigued state from their heavy training programme. He added: "I've to hold the reins in training sessions. The guys are ready to play and will be more focused and sharper for having been on the reins, at the end of our build-up period." Warrington's season runs until September 17 at Wigan and then hopefully beyond in the play-offs, which Cullen and his players liked the taste of in 2003. In his start of season message to fans Cullen said: "We are absolutely determined to achieve our pre-season goal, which is to better our position from last year. That featured a round four exit from the Challenge Cup and a sixth position in Super League. We are determined to better both." Wolves will have an early chance to pass one of their goals when they travel to Rochdale Hornets on Saturday, February 28, kick-off 3pm, in the fourth round of the Powergen Challenge Cup.

Wire will be at full strength for Saturday's historic Super League opener at the new Halliwell Jones Stadium. Matt Sturm is the only team member unavailable for selection against Wakefield but head coach Paul Cullen was not planning to field him anyway. Young guns Nick Owen, Jamie . Durbin and Richard Varkulis have also been left out of Cullen's 22-man match day squad but Lee Briers and Jon Clarke are poised to play after impressing in Friday's behind closed doors friendly. Skipper Briers has not played a competitive game since breaking a bone in his wrist against London seven months ago while hooker Clarke has undergone an operation to clear a breathing channel after smashing his nose to the root in a pre-season friendly with Salford on February 1. Paul Wood and lan Sibbit have also fully recovered from recent injury concerns. Forward Wood damaged his shoulder while making his Great Britain debut against New Zealand A at the back end of last season and centre Sibbit has had ankle and knee problems since helping England beat France in the 2003 European Nations Cup final. Both men looked sharp in Wolves' friendly with Wigan Warriors under 21s on Saturday and Cullen is delighted to have a fully fit squad. 3 He said: "I have named a squad of 22 players for the Wakefield game so there are going to be five players in the stands waiting for a run. "Everyone is fit and raring to go but I won't reveal my 17 until the day of the game. I want to keep Wakefield guessing."

SKIPPER Lee Briers will put a seven-month nightmare behind him to lead Wolves out of the tunnel for the first game at The Halliwell Jones Stadium. Head coach Paul CuBen has said it will come down to a 'judgement call' as to whether or not the key playmaker will line up against Wakefield Trinity "Wildcats on Saturday night. But selected or not, and fingers crossed he will be, Briers will have the honour of being the front man when the almighty cheers greet the players' arrival for Tetley's Super League IX at their new home. For the 25-year-old stand off, who has not played since breaking his wrist last July, it is a match not to be missed. Not only has he been out of action for the longest period of his career but he had the disappointment of being sidelined from the emotional last league game at Wilderspool and had to sit out the club's exciting first appearance in the play-offs last year. ; He said: "Saturday is igoing to be an amazing night for the whole of the town.-When we start I'll ' probably be a bit nervious, not only because of the new stadium but because I have not played for seven months and it is going to be like starting all over again. "But if I get an early touch of the ball and then hopefully on that note it will go well. "If you imagine buying a new car and you are itching to drive it but you can't, that's what it has been like for me. I simply want to get on the field and get started again. "The months off have freshened me up and hopefully I'll come back hungry and playing to the best of my ability Briers, after being given the all-clear by a specialist a fortnight ago, can now forget about his wrist reconstruction and get on with the job of leading Wolves to a second successive appearance in the play-offs. He said: "I think everyone needs to be patient. We're going to do all right this year and anything better than last year will be a sensation. "On paper we're looking strong but we've got to improve on last year. A good thing is that we have not let too many players go from the 2003 squad but I think, of those we did let go, we'll miss Sid Domic the most. "Having said that, we've recruited well in Mike Forshaw. All the players have been buzzing in training and it is safe to say we're all feeling ready for this game."

WAKEFIELD Trinity Wildcats were Paul Cullen's darkhorse tips for a strong season in 2003. There were reasons why they underachieved and finished llth in the table last season and therefore, specially after recruiting heavily for 2004, he sees no reason to underestimate them this time round. Wildcats remain as dangerous opposition for the best teams in Super League. Cullen said: "The strength of their squad waivered at certain points last season and it meant when they picked up injuries they got turned over on a number of occasions. "When they had their best team on the field, they caused some major shocks. To beat St Helens at St Helens in the manner in which they did was a remarkable achievement. "At the start of any season, in theory, a team is going to be at its best because the injury situation has not had time to kick in. So therefore we are wary of the threat the Wildcats pose, as we have found out ourselves in previous years. You can not disrespect the Wildcats. They are a tough, resilient group of people." Wakefield coach Shane McNally expects to have a full strength squad to choose from on Saturday. He said: "We are monitoring a few players but we are hoping to have our best 17 on the field and we are certainly going to be up for the game. "We are very pleased to be playing in the first game at The Halliwell Jones Stadium. Wolves' 2002 player of the year Sid Domic is expected to make his Wildcats debut on Saturday. My guys are looking forward to starting the new campaign in front of a large crowd and they are focused on spoiling Warrington's big day out. "We are much better prepared for this season than we were for last season. We also have a more versatile squad but I wouldn't say we have a stronger squad." McNally added: "Warrington have a good side right across the board but they can be sure of a tough test on Saturday. It should be an exciting game." source Warrington Guardian

18th February. 1,000 To Go =========== There are only 1,000 tickets to go until the first ever game at the Halliwell Jones Stadium is sold out. There are tickets available in the East (unreserved) and West (standing). Warrington Wolves are urging their fans to buy tickets in advance of Saturday's kick off (6.05pm) against Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, so as to avoid disappointment of being turned away. The club are anticipating a sell-out crowd of 14,206 (ground capacity) and are expecting to announce an all-ticket game by Friday. TICKET PRICES: Adult Concession North Stand £18.00 £10.00 (reserved seating) East Stand £15.00 £8.00 (unreserved seating) Ground £13.00 £7.00 TICKET HOTLINE: 01925 248888

Lee Briers is hoping to end is Career at Warrington. He Said Warrington have shown faith in me so I hope to repay that faith and commit myself that's if the club wants me to that is.

Green Travel Plan A green travel plan has been produced for fans and visitors to the brand new Halliwell Jones Stadium. The aim of the plan is to encourage as many people as possible to use alternative transport modes, rather than the car, to reach the new Stadium. This will help alleviate congestion around the stadium improving the match day experience for the fans and local residents alike. In order to achieve this aim the travel plan will consist of the following schemes: -TRAVEL BY BUS -TRAVEL BY TRAIN -CONTROLLED PARKING ZONE -PARK & WALK SCHEME Travel by Bus The Halliwell Jones Stadium on Winwick Road A49 is located on a high frequency bus route. Monday to Friday there will be a service passing every 10 minutes. On a Sunday there is a service passing the stadium every 30 minutes. Warrington Bus Station is approximately 500m from the stadium. Saturdays - No. 19 (8 mins & 38 mins past the hour) & No. 420 (50 mins past the hour) Sundays - No. 19 (58 mins past the hour), No. 20 (45 mins past the hour) & No. 420 (30 mins past the hour) Travel by Train

- Central Station is located approximately 400m from the stadium and serves the east/west trans-pennine route. Away fans will be encouraged to use this service, as there will be trains running at least hourly along this route. Bank Quay Station is approximately 1 km from the Stadium and serves the north/south mainline. Tesco Car Park Tesco Shopping Centre car park is strictly for Tesco customer use. Tesco have the option to use the parking barriers. The car park will be stewarded on matchdays. We strongly advise all rugby fans not to use the Tesco car park on matchdays as you will be charged. Controlled Parking Zone In conjunction with Warrington Wolves, Warrington Borough Council will introduce a controlled parking zone. This will ensure that match day parking does not inconvenience residents or cause road safety problems. Controlled zones will be clearly marked and fines will be imposed for illegal parking. Park & Walk Scheme There are numerous car parks both private and public that are within easy walking distance of the Stadium. The usual charges will apply for public car parks, the parking charge for the private car parks will be at the owners discretion. The car parks are numbered on the map and are as follows:- PRIVATE OWNER - LOCATION - CAPACITY 1. Warrington Collegiate - Winwick Rd - 470 2. Ram Property - Dallam Lane - 240 3. Medical Centre - Folly Lane - 60 4. MOT Service Centre - Lythgoes Lane - 50 5. Bewsey Lodge School - Lodge Lane - 150 6. St Arms Church & Primary School - Mortimer Avenue - 70 7. JJB Health Club - Bank Street - 100 PUBLIC CAR PARKS - TYPE - CAPACITY 8. Bank House - Pay on exit (Sat only) - 106 9. Golden Square - Pay on exit - 1610 10. Winmarleigh Street (Masonic) - Pay & Display (Sat only) - 60 11. Time Square - Pay & Display - 98 12. The Market - Pay on exit - 540 A map of the car park areas is available from the news section on Wolf Web.

16th February.Stadium Capacity Granted Warrington Wolves were granted a capacity of 14,206 by the Safety Committee at a meeting following today's successful open day. The Safety Committee with the Police, Fire Service, Warrington Borough Council Building Control and the Club in attendance carried out a full review of the Club's stewarding procedures and their Management Plan and unanimously agreed to issue a Safety Certificate with a capacity of 14,206, subject to an additional stewarding condition, to which the Club readily agreed. Warrington Wolves would like to thank the stewards and staff who have put in many extra hours of training over the last few months and the 3,600 supporters who turned up to today's open day and look forward to seeing them all back next week for the opening game.Wolves have sold 11,500 tickets so far and are urging supporters to buy their tickets in advance of Saturday, as it is expected to be a sell out. There are no matchday tickets left for the South Stand (Standing) and in the North Stand (reserved seating) there are no two seats left together. The options are East Stand (unreserved seating) and West Stand (Standing). Ground season ticket holders have the option to go in either the West or South Stand, but this option is not available for ground matchday tickets they will only gain access into the appropriate stand: Yellow ticket denotes access to the south stand and the green ticket denotes access to the West Stand. There are 2,000 tickets in the West Stand available and only 500 left in the East Stand. TICKET PRICES: North Stand - Adult: £18.00 Concession: £10.00 (reserved seating) East Stand - Adult: £15.00 Concession: £8.00 (unreserved seating) Ground - Adult: £13.00 Concession: £7.00

12th February.GRAHAM Appo has warned Lee Briers and Nathan Wood to watch their backs because he no longer sees himself as a deputy stand off. The Aussie trickster is gunning for a regular halfback slot in 2004 after taking to the role like a duck to water at the back end of last season. He revelled in the extra responsibility of commanding play in the middle of the park and head coach Paul Cullen has indicated to him that Appo will be given opportunities to show his abilities at stand off again. Appo said: "Paul Cullen has pretty much said that full back is going to be my spot .this year. "But there is going to be a lot of rotation throughout the year and I will get chances to show what I can do at stand off. "That is the position that I want to play after last year. I was able to direct play with the ball in my hands. The boys responded to me well and I felt like I was in charge. "I loved playing there last season and I intend to put a lot of pressure on Lee and Nathan in the coming months- They know that and they are going to have to be on their toes," Appo added; "It's going to be a headache for the coach with Lee, Nathan and myself all wanting to be half backs. "He has got a tough decision on his hands when everyone is fully fit and it's one that I wouldn't like to make. "I'm sure he sees it as a nice problem-to have though. A lot of coaches would love to have three players like us in their squad and I will be happy with whatever Paul comes up with providing that he doesn't stick me out on the wing, "I do not get the ball enough out on the wing but I do enjoy playing full back and that's the position Paul has pencilled me in for." Daryl Cardiss will have something to say about Appo owning the full back slot. He shone there after jumping ship from relegation-bound Halifax midway through the previous campaign. There is more of Appo's interview in the This Is Rugby league magazine, which for 3004 is bigger, brighter and half the price of last year's editions. The magazine will be available to buy from Monday at selected outlets and will include the Brent Gross column, new stadium feature, Wolves team poster, Challenge Cup nostalgia, fans' guide to the Super League grounds, Eddie Hemmings' thoughts on the new campaign, insight into Wolves'" arch-rivals.

LEE Briers' selection for the opening game of the new season at The Halliwell Jones Stadium will come down to a 'judgement call'. Wolves' skipper was last week given the all-clear to resume full contact training and full weight training exercises and he has been going flat-out since In a bid to be fit for the big night. Briers, who has not played since breaking his wrist against London Broncos last July, failed In one comeback attempt and then required reconstructive surgery. Wolves' head coach Paul Cullen said: "He had been near to full training for the previous month and had been Involved In a serious weight training programme for two to three weeks prior to being given the final all-clear. "All Is on track for Lee. It will be a final judgement call, come the Wakefield game, whether he plays that night or the following week. But It's now down to a matter of judgement or a preference rather than medical opinion.'' Cullen has said that stand off Briers, selected or not, will lead Wolves out on to the pitch for the dawn of the new era at The Halliwell Jones Stadium.

Wolves' players are feeling their way round the Halliwell Jones Stadium pitch this week. Light training sessions and kicking practice is now taking place there and it is hoped that tomorrow, Friday, the players will make up two teams to play a full-contact match there. The Halliwell Jones Stadium pitch is much bigger than the one at Wilderspool Stadium and time spent on the new ground is an important part of the build-up to the first game of the season against Wakefield Trinity Wildcats on February 21. Head coach Paul Cullen says: "With a squad of 26 and some of the under 21s players, we can form two very competitive sides. "If the weather doesn't allow, we may have to play the match at William Beaumont. The pitch at the Halliwell Jones Stadium is still young and if there's a chance of spoiling it for the first game then we won't be able to play there in such a competitive manner. "The light sessions and kicking practice are taking place at The Halliwell Jones Stadium. This will give the players a general feel of contact club. We can go from one touchline to the other and still be as effective when we go to the defensive line with the ball. We'll need to have that and more at The Halliwell Jones Stadium. An extra four or five metres makes a massive difference. "So the training sessions and hopefully the 'in-house' game will give the players the chance to feel the width of the defensive patterns and to see how wide we need to be in attack." "In terms of the pitch, symbolically it's the full size. The pitch can not be one centimetre longer or wider. "We need to be able to take on the best in the ultimate arena and it doesn't get any bigger than this. "To be honest, it has been my only input into The Halliwell Jones Stadium a pitch 68 metres wide and 100 metres long with seven-metre in-goals, because that's what it says in the rule book. "We need to be able to adopt a style of play that can exploit these dimensions and I'm absolutely confident that we can. "Wilderspool has worked well, for us over the years and we played the pitch well. "But, if anything, I think we may have outgrown Wilderspool's pitch. There were times- in the trial match against Salford where we could have gone to the edge but we were virtually running out of room. "The second try that Dean Gaskell scored came about from literally going from one side of the field to the other in two passes. "I think that typifies the quality of the pass that we're working on at the moment.

WOLVES supporters can try out their match day viewing positions on Sunday when The Halliwell Jones Stadium has its open day. The stadium's doors will be open from 2pm for an event which is of high importance to the club for putting its health and safety procedures into practice before February 21's new season start. It will be an ideal occasion for fans to check out their seats or preferred standing spots for Tetley's Super League IX and hopefully Powergen Challenge Cup matches ahead. Concourse areas below the stands will be operational for the first time with refreshments available and dance teams The Starlights and Independence will be performing. Behind the scenes, the pressure has been high. There has been a hive of activity each day from before dawn until late at night to make sure the £12m stadium is ready for the opening game against Wakefield Trinity Wildcats. Impressive silver stadium signs and the triangular Wolves logo were put in place at the end of last week while the club shop in the North Stand, at the side of the main entrance, was opened on Friday. Finishing touches to the 450-seat conference and banqueting facility were being completed this week ready for the room's first private booking on Saturday. On Sunday the Brian Bevan statue was moved from Brian Bevan Island,near Wilderspool,to its new home outside of The Halliwell Jones Stadium. The markings are on the pitch and goal posts are due to be put in position this week too. A new scoreboard is to be fixed in place above the television gantry of the South Stand on Monday and Sky Sports' big screen has been sited on the South Stand back wall. Plumbers, joiners, fitters, electricians, decorators, carpet layers and dance floor layers have been busy on their various tasks around the stadium. The North Stand hospitality boxes and lounges are currently being furnished. Caterers Heathcotes have been busy making sure all is well on the kitchen front for providing meals to sponsors, directors and fans. The kitchen in the North Stand, to service up to 550 people in hospitality on a match day, has been fully fitted and tested ahead of tomorrow night's private 50th birthday party function that is taking up two lounges. The kitchen in the conference and banqueting suite was due to have its final testing last night, Wednesday. The tasks go on as food has to be shipped in, offices sorted, stationery ordered and equipment transferred from Wilderspool to the new site. In three weeks time work will start on the first floor community section of the North Stand. This will comprise seven educational classrooms and a control centre and is due to be finished by June. The two lower floors of the Winwick Road-facing East Stand, beneath the conference facility, are to be taken up by NHS Primary Care Trust. They will be providing 12 services from the site and some of the space will be for offices. All work is expected to be completed by September. Finally, the stadium has potential capacity on match day for 14,500 supporters but the total figure for the first game will only be known after a certificate, expected next week, is issued by health and safety inspectors.

Wolves' hopes of progression in the Powergen Challenge Cup were boosted this week when they were paired away to Rochdale Hornets for the first time in the last 65 years of the competition. Hornets, who play in National League One and are coached by former St Helens skipper Bobbie Goulding, have only beaten Wolves in the Challenge cup once but that will not stop the primrose and blue boys treating the game at Spotland on February 28 with absolute professionalism. Wolves' skipper Lee Briers, who was Goulding's understudy at Saints prior to joining Wolves, said: "We're quite pleased with the draw and we know Bobbie Goulding and we know what his team is going to be like - firing on all cyclinders and competing for 80 minutes. It's a tough and tricky draw but I don't think it should be too much of a problem." Head coach Paul Cullen said: "Any team that has the services of Bobbie Goulding needs to be respected and we will afford this game utmost respect. It's a game we will look forward to once we.get past Wakefield in the opening game of Tetley's Rugby Super League on February 21." Wolves have loaned Matt Sturm and Richard Varkulis to Rochdale for an initial one month period and neither will be allowed to play in the game. Forward Sturm pulled a calf in training at the end of last week and his Spotland stint will start as soon as he has recovered, Wolves' preparations for the new season will continue on Saturday as Cullen is expected to be fielding some of his Super League squad men in the under 21s game against Wigan at Wilderspool, kick-off 2pm. Among those being considered for a run out are new props Chris Leikvoll and Danny Lima, lan Sibbit, Paul Wood, Daryl Cardiss and Mike Wainwright. Cullen said: "I'll decide late in the week after consultation with the players themselves and Wigan." Leikvoll and Lima, who played in the Lee Penny Testimonial game on Saturday, have asked to be selected against Wigan. two props came through Saturday's game fine. "I have been working all of our players very heavily in the pre-sea-son and I haven't changed my pre-season training programme to fit in with games, which are a budgetary requirement "So basically our players have been sent into matches virtually in a state of full fatigue with heavy legs. "That was the case for Lima and Leikvoll again on Saturday and they may have another run out this Saturday, at their request, so that they can keep pushing their levels. "Then well be easing up on all the players and operating a proper pre-game programme next week. "We are on track. We are where I expected us to be in our preparations and a little bit in front. Going into the Wakefield game I have 25 players virtually all going flat-out in training in the final fortnight of the build-up. It's a very encouraging position to be in." Hooker Jon Clarke is recovering well from an operation that was needed to clear a breathing channel after suffering a broken nose in the friendly defeat of Salford on February 1. He has been wearing a protective mask as a precaution but he should be back in training by the end of the week to prepare for Wakefield.

11th February. Wolves will play their fourth round draw of the Powergen Challenge Cup on Saturday 28th February 2004 away at Spotlands, Rochdale, and Kick off 3.00pm. Rochdale Hornets Contact Details and Directions: Ground: Spotlands Phone Number: 01706 648004 Fax: 01706 344545 Directions: Exit the M62 at junction 20 signposted Rochdale, Oldham A627M . This brings you straight to a roundabout. Taking the turning marked Rochdale (1st exit if travelling from the West, or 3rd exit if travelling from the East). Follow the dual carriageway to what was another roundabout, it is now a set of traffic lights, get into the left hand lane, should be a filter, this will take you under the Co-op bridge. You will be on another dual carriageway for approx 30 seconds, until you reach another roundabout (with Tesco on your left hand side). Get into the middle lane here, and take the second exit onto Roch Valley Way. This is now signposted for Spotland Stadium. Follow this road to the top until you get to a set of traffic lights (with the Cemetery Inn facing). Go straight through the lights (but only when they are green!) which takes you straight onto Sandy Lane itself. Follow the road round, and you will see the ground on your right hand side. Nearest Railway Station: Rochdale. The club advises you take a taxi (£2-3 fare) as it is a fair walk to Spotlands, and there is no regular bus service on Sundays.

9th February. Brian Bevan Makes his Home at Halliwell Jones The Brian Bevan Statue has been moved from its home at Brian Bevan Island on Wilderspool Causeway to a new home at the Halliwell Jones Stadium. The Statue will take up residence opposite the Brian Bevan Wall (to be opened in June 04) at the North East Stand meet at the stadium entrance on the A49. Sydney born Brian Bevan, was one of the most talked about players in rugby league and was Warrington's great. Brian Bevan made history for Warrington with 740 tries in 620 appearances for the club from 1946 to 1962. He scored 796 tries in his first-class British career playing for Warrington, Blackpool Borough, other nationalities and various representative XIIIs. He helped Warrington to lift to Challenge Cups, three Championships, a Lancashire Cup and six Lancashire League Championships. Although never appearing in a test for his country he played for other Nationalities 16 times scoring 29 tries. His career ended in 1964 after 2 seasons with Blackpool Borough. The Brian Bevan Statue was commissioned by Warrington Borough Council joint funding from Warrington Borough Council lottery and Birse Group PLC in 1993. The statue was re-erected in memory of Brian Bevan two years after his death in 1991. The move is to commemorate the Wolves historic move from Wilderspool Stadium to new state of the art Halliwell Jones Stadium after 105 years. The unveiling will take place on Friday 13th February 2004 at 9.00am at the Halliwell Jones Stadium with Councillor Paul Kenny who was the executor of the move and Chief Executive Andy Gatcliffe.

The Wire paid tribute to their fullback Lee Penny with a testimonial fixture against Cambridge University at Wilderspool on Saturday. Penny finished his eleven-season Wire career as the club's most prolific try-scoring fullback, scoring his 100th try in his final appearance against Halifax in September. Signing for Wire from Orrell St James in 1991, Penny made three appearances for Great Britain Under-21s, and went on to become a fixture at the back of the Warrington line for the next decade. After being released at the end of last season, Penny criticised the club for not staging a testimonial game for him. Lee had a few worde to say after the game "I'm a bit emotional," he admitted. "I'm quite flattered really, I didn't think there'd be many here, but I'd thank them all for the support they've given me and I hope they'll do well next year. I enjoyed the day, I certainly did." "I'm playing union at the moment for Vale of Lune," he said. "I'm enjoying it up there, and hopefully will get a full-time contract in union. The coach (Mark Nelson) is the assistant coach at Sale, so hopefully there's a shout in there at Sale." A young Wolves lineup, including new front row signings Danny Lima and Chris Leikvoll, made light work of putting their student opponents away. A hat-trick from strong-running left centre Kevin Picton and two scores from backrower Chris Baines were the highlights in a twelve-try 58-0 rout over the light blues. At the end of the game Penny was given a presentation of a framed photo-montage of images from his career by coach Paul Cullen, and he received a standing ovation from the Bevan Stand. "I appreciate all that, I've been here ten or eleven years now, I've enjoyed every bit of it and it's all in my heart," he added. "I'm sure I'll follow the boys all the time, still come watching them, still give them my backing. I'll be playing on Saturdays now, so I'll be able to come back down on Sundays to watch Warrington. "I've had many fantastic memories in my time here, but one of them, actually, is today."

6th February.Lee Penny's Testimonial Head Coach Paul Cullen and U21s Coach Graham Scott have named their side to face Cambridge University Rugby League Club tomorrow, Saturday 7th February 2004 at Wilderspool Stadium, kick off 2.00pm. Lee Penny completed eleven seasons with Warrington Wolves before his departure at the end of last season, making a career total of 2276 scoring 100 tries. 'Jimmy' was known as one of the safest fullbacks in the game. Lee Penny Phil Berry Ian Wilkinson Kev Picton Nick Owen Liam McGovern Jamie Durbin Chris Leikvoll Andy Crabtree Danny Lima Chris Baines Mark Roberts Matty Clarke Steven Pickersgill John Pickersgill Carl Fletcher Steve Sutcliffe Matty Pitt Ian Marsden Phil Braddish Chris Todd Dave Pennington Anthony Haughton John Thornhill Dave Saxton Zac Elston Matt Patterson Matt Bryers

2nd February. Lee Briers has been given permission to resume training , he is hopeful of being ready to play when The Wire meet Wakefield Trinity on the 21st Feb at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.

1st February. Warrington 32 Salford 22: Warrington Tries: Gaskell (2), N Wood, Stevens, Forshaw, Bums. Goals: Owen (4). Salford City Reds Tries: Caine, Beverley, Charles. Goals: Caine (3), Charles (2). Attendance: 3,336.