Wakefield’s ‘fantastic’ stadium hopefully the scene of Halifax Panthers getting ‘back on the horse’ against Whitehaven

The Round 13 Championship fixture has been moved away from The Shay while improvement works to the pitch are carried out.

And it is a swift return to the home of Wakefield for Fax following last Sunday’s 46-24 defeat against the runaway league leaders.

On the prospect of a second successive week at Belle Vue, the Panthers’ head coach Liam Finn told the Courier:

“It looks fantastic. It’s a great stadium, a great venue and a great pitch. They have great supporters here and it’s a great place to play.

“They have got a new owner who is doing a great job and putting his money where his mouth is.

“We need to utilise this venue on Sunday to get ourselves back on the horse.”

Whitehaven won for the first time since May 5 thanks to a 38-12 success over rock-bottom Dewsbury Rams in Round 12.

And although Finn expects it to be another “tough” encounter, he believes his side gave a good account of themselves against unbeaten Trin.

He said: “The game had gone a little bit when we did challenge them in the second half. We showed enough there to challenge them and make it a contest going into the last ten minutes.

“Unfortunately, we put ourselves onto the back foot in terms of the scoreboard and chasing. We have chased a couple of big scores down, or nearly have, in recent weeks, but against a team like Wakefield, that has got quality players throughout, you are going to struggle to do that.”

He added: “There isn’t an easy game in this competition. Whitehaven will be tough.

“They have got some good players who can challenge us across the field.”

On the temporary move to Wakefield, CEO Damian Clayton told the Panthers’ website: “Wakefield’s top-notch facilities are ready to welcome us, offering a unique opportunity to celebrate our club’s spirit.

“We’re calling on all our fans to transform Belle View into a sea of blue and white, creating an electric atmosphere that our players will thrive in.”