Castleford Tigers sack Craig Lingard as Martin Jepson puts stamp on club as sole owner

Lingard took over at the end of last year after a short spell as an assistant and led the Tigers to a 10th-place finish with an inexperienced squad, representing an improvement on a dismal 2023 campaign.

However, Castleford have decided to make a change following the deal that has seen Jepson take full control of the club.

"I would like to thank Craig for all his hard work over the past year as head coach and in his previous role as assistant head coach," said Jepson. "I would like to wish Craig the very best of luck for the future.

"This wasn't an easy decision. Craig is a really decent guy and is well-liked by our fans but I felt it was time for a different direction and a new voice in the dressing room.

"The players are due back in a few weeks and I wanted to give a new coach the opportunity to shape pre-season and create a winning culture of his own.

"The search for a new head coach is under way and we hope to make an announcement soon."

Lingard initially joined Castleford as a number two, a position he combined with his head coach role at Batley Bulldogs in the second half of last season.

The 46-year-old landed his first top job at Super League level and oversaw an overhaul of the squad following the club's brush with relegation.

The Tigers slashed the playing budget with a focus on young, hungry players and lowered their expectations for the 2024 campaign accordingly.

Lingard's side topped Castleford's 2023 points tally with nine rounds to spare and helped repair the relationship between the club and the fanbase.

However, the Tigers picked up just one more win to end the campaign on a sour note and Lingard has paid the price with his job despite being fully invested in the long-term plan.

Lingard had been hoping to push Castleford onto the next level in 2025 and even shared his frustration about the club's slow progress in the recruitment market but he will not get the opportunity to see the project through.

It is the first significant decision made by Jepson since he struck a deal to buy out Janet and Ian Fulton.

Jepson originally purchased a 32 per cent stake to give him an equal say on matters at Wheldon Road but he has now taken over the day-to-day running of the club.

The lifelong Castleford fan has made a significant investment since joining the board at the end of last year and is set to be rewarded on Wednesday when IMG reveal the 12 clubs that will make up the 2025 Super League.

Jepson last week declared his optimism that the Tigers would join neighbours Wakefield Trinity among the Grade A clubs, which would guarantee them a top-flight place.

"We have submitted our grading, as every club has, the RFL has been through the submission and confirmed that they believe the grading we've submitted is right," he said.

"It's still subject to the final sign-off from the auditors but we will be in a similar position to Wakefield."