TOWN BOSS Chris Thorman has explained why the side will not compete in this year’s Challenge Cup.

In a social media video for the fans, Thorman, coach at Workington RLFC said: “Nobody wants to play in the Challenge Cup more than I do, as a player I loved it, in my short career as a coach I’ve really enjoyed that. You test yourself against some of the better higher profile clubs and I really enjoy doing that because it gives you a good marker to see where you’re at.”

But answering fans’ questions about why Town are absent from this year’s Cup fixtures, Thorman confirmed it was due to the break between rounds and the start of the season as well as the prospect of games without fans.

“It just wasn’t feasible to do that, when you consider player welfare, and games behind closed doors. We just couldn’t do it unfortunately.”

“It pained me for the club to come to that decision but at the end of the day I was absolutely part of that process and part of that decision making and I agreed with everybody else that decided not to enter.”