Cougars chairman Neil Spencer believes the club are now far better equipped to survive in rugby league’s second tier.

The last time Cougars were promoted, in 2003, they managed just one year in National League One before suffering relegation.

But Spencer is confident the infrastructure is now in place to help them compete against the likes of Halifax, Widnes and Barrow in the Co-operative Championship.

Consolidation is the aim though, with Spencer under no illusions about the magnitude of the task ahead following promotion from Championship One.

“Everyone knows it will be a step up but we don’t want to go straight back down again like we did last time,” said Spencer.

“We have a better set-up than we did then in terms of administration and our community projects.

“We are aiming to consolidate and we’ve got a team that are capable of doing that.

“Most of the current squad have been with (head coach) Barry Eaton for three seasons and they’ve enjoyed success on the pitch.

“Having said that, it’s a different pace in the Championship and we will need one or two players to come in and help us with that.”

Eaton has already added four players to his squad for next year, three of them from Super League clubs. But perhaps as important is the community work being undertaken by the club.

By reaching out to schools, amateur clubs, businesses and the council, Spencer hopes to build solid foundations for the future.

He said: “Cougars success will rely on us getting people involved in the game.

“We have been into the schools with coaching and hopefully then we can get children into the local amateur clubs. They will be the players and fans of the future.”

And the club have already begun to reap the benefits.

“Season ticket sales have been going really well,” added Spencer.

“We’ve always had a good reception from people in the town, we just need more of them to come to Cougar Park.”