By Ged Scott BBC Sport

Noble brings Crusaders to his old side Wigan on Friday week

Just 12 months ago, Brian Noble went into the Super League season bidding to end Wigan's long wait for silverware.

On Friday night, when he starts another new season having swapped Wigan for Wrexham, Noble will face a side of rugby league he has never seen before.

The former Bradford Bulls, Wigan and Great Britain coach takes charge of unfancied Crusaders against champions Leeds at the Racecourse Ground.

And he knows full well he isfacing the toughest test of his career.

For the majority of his illustrious 10 years as a coach, Noble has been trying to win trophies, first at Bradford (where he won three Grand Finals, three World Club Championships and a Challenge Cup) then at Wigan (where, crucially, he fell just short).

Now his job description is about the development of rugby league in a union hotbed like Wales, while at the same time avoiding Super League's wooden spoon.

It was hard enough for Crusaders in their first season of Super League in 2009.

CRUSADERS - A BRIEF HISTORY 2005 - Celtic Crusaders founded 2006 - Joined National Two 2007 - National Two champions 2008 - National One runners-up 2009 - Finished bottom of Super League 2009 - Dropped Celtic tag, moved to Wrexham

Based at Bridgend's Brewery Field, and preceded by the word 'Celtic', they took three months (and 11 games) to win their first match, ending up with just three victories to their name all season.

Now, following a winter of disruption caused by their financially-triggered move from South to North Wales, to a new home at Wrexham's Racecourse Ground, and having dropped their prefix as part of a rebranding, they are ready to start all over again.

And, having been denied even the chance of a warm-up game by the weather, and less than three weeks after their move to Wrexham was formally completed, they must start at the very top - against a Leeds side who have won the last three Grand finals.

"From the outside looking in, we've got Buckley's chance," admits Noble. "I think that's the expression.

"It went belly-up in Bridgend. Now it's been resurrected in Wrexham. And, let's be honest, we're picking up a team whose reputation is in tatters. But we now need to build up that reputation.

"We've got the opportunity to start afresh and put it back on the right track. And we can start doing that on Friday night.

As long as the long-term ambition is there, we've got to look at this now as a fabulous opportunity Crusaders coach Brian Noble here

"The weather hit us first and foremost, we haven't had a run-out, we don't know what we're like, we don't know what the template is. But playing the three-time champions will give us that template in our first game."

Added to that, in front of what is expected (even though the TV cameras are there) to be a full house at the Racecourse Ground, Noble knows better than anyone just what Crusaders are capable of on their day.

It was his Wigan side who were on the receiving end when Crusaders won their first home game last season, 22-16 at the Brewery Field in mid-June. And, although his outlook is more long-term, aimed at how they cope throughout the entire season, Noble remains hopeful.

"I've got enough grey hairs in this game to know that anything can happen," he said. "And, although we might be a bit rusty, we won't lack for effort and determination.

"We've got a good group of people, who are prepared to work hard. And, with a good run of the ball, continued hard work and perseverance can get you places."

Noble's old Bradford player Iestyn Harris is part of his coaching team

Noble himself is certainly not short of perseverance, especially having been hired to work in South Wales, only to suddenly find himself relocated 160 miles north.

But he admits that, in a winter when he had the major added personal distraction of having to undergo knee surgery, there have been times when he wondered whether he had done the right thing.

"Of course there were," he said. "There probably still are in the recesses of your mind. I was half an hour from signing up for a house in Cardiff.

"One of my coaches, Jon Sharp, does have that problem. He actually agreed to sell his house in Todmorden.

"You wonder why you still push yourself. You wonder is it worth getting out of bed for? But you wouldn't be a human being if you didn't have those sort of thoughts."

And being the highly-respected figure he is in the game has certainly helped.

A chance meeting at an overnight stop, in his days as Great Britain boss, with then-Celtic manager Martin O'Neill led to a lasting friendship.

And Noble was able to call in a favour last week when, without decent training facilities because of the wintry weather, Noble's Crusaders were welcomed by O'Neill for a week at Aston Villa's now state-of-the art training ground at Bodymoor Heath.

606: DEBATE If there is anywhere in Wales where rugby league can succeed it is in Wrexham dec7000

"Being at Aston Villa's training ground for a week will have helped us," said Noble. "Martin O'Neill was kind enough to help us out. And it showed us what a successful operation should be like.

"We also have a fine facility at the Racecourse, the owners appear ambitious and want to be successful and we've got good coaches.

"It has been very difficult. But I'm still as committed to it all as I was.

"I still want to win. And there's no reason why, if we get the development side right, and with the backing of the owners and the people of Wrexham and North Wales, within a couple of years, we shouldn't be winning games.

"You're prepared to expect turmoil in the short term. But, as long as the long-term ambition is there, we've got to look at this now as a fabulous opportunity."

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