Ahead of an anticipated return to Wrexham, Gareth Raynor insists he has no regrets in rejecting Crusaders.

Offered the chance to spend this season in Wales, the powerful winger instead opted to revive his Super League career at the Bulls, becoming one of 11 off-season arrivals.

Despite spending most of 2010 behind bars – the result of a seven-month prison sentence for fraud – Raynor had started the campaign impressively for Crusaders.

Handed a lifeline by his former Great Britain boss Brian Noble, the former Hull star scored four tries in seven appearances for the Welshman and admits it was tough to turn down an extended stay.

“I enjoyed it there and the moment that sticks in my mind is my debut down there in Wrexham,” said Raynor, who looks set to make a third Bradford appearance in tomorrow’s trip to the Racecourse Ground.

“There were 10,000 there for the first game of the season in the snow against Leeds and I scored their first try, so I have some good memories and there are some good lads down there.

“They offered me the chance to go back there and I thought about it but it just wasn’t right with the timing and the circumstances.

“I believe in fate and things happen for a reason. But whatever’s happened, I appreciate the opportunity they gave me last year.

“I’m 100 per cent happy with the decision to come to Bradford.”

Now Raynor, who turned 33 yesterday, is focused on rebuilding his reputation with the Bulls.

A starter against both Leeds and Wigan, he has yet to break his scoring duck and has been largely used to make metres early in sets.

So far, both wingers in the Bulls’ new-look line-up have struggled to get their hands on the ball but Raynor knows that will change in time.

He said: “It’s been good to get back in there. The more games I play, the more confidence I get, the more match-fit I get and the better we get as a team, playing with each other.

“At the minute all I seem to be doing is getting the yards but it’s always the same at this time year, you can’t really spread the ball too much.

“Once we get better working as a unit, I’ll start seeing more of the ball. At the minute, I’m not really too bothered. I’m just happy to be back playing and I will do whatever I need to do.”

The pressure is on Bradford ahead of tomorrow’s clash with Crusaders after defeat in both their opening games.

But Raynor has warned they must not let it weigh heavy on their minds.

He said: “We’ve played the two best teams in the comp I guess. It lets us know whereabouts we are.

“We know where we are now and we know what standard we need to achieve to get into that top six. Now we’re just looking forward to this week and kicking on.

“It’s a big game but every game’s as important as the next. As a team you don’t really look at games and say ‘we’re going to get two points from this one’.

“You turn up and give 100 per cent and then you can look at your performance and see whether you deserved the two points.”