I remember that game. One of my memories from that game was Martin Offiah, after scoring a try at the Western Terrace end, jumping on top of one of the big metal boxes in front of one of the floodlights to do a little dance.

The best memories are always the ones where your dad is involved and the very best ones are the ones where he does something "a bit naughty" and you both keep it a secret from your mum



Mine are of a Challenge Cup semi final at Odsal and if I could be bothered I'd look it up because I'm sure it was either 1970 or 71, and now I'm guessing that it might not have been 71 because I think Leeds lost.

Anyway, the ground was packed (the grounds always look packed when you're a kid) and we ended up stood in front of the big old stand opposite to where the teams run out - back then there was seating inside the stand and a no-mans land of about ten yards in front of them which had a chicken wire fence in front of it to stop people standing in front of the seats (they wouldn't have been able to see otherwise), beyond that the terracing continued in a standing area that wasn't under cover - thats where we stood, me, my dad and his big mate (all 6'5" of him).

Second half and Leeds are losing (was it St Helens ?) and suddenly the heavens open and the mother of all thunderstorms tips floods of rain and sleet on us all and the only thing keeping us from being under cover is the chicken wire fence - cue my dad and his big mate to start kicking it down followed by hundreds of others and an invasion of the no-mans land covered area in front of the seats, but in that nice Dunkirk spirit of co-operation that my dads generation had everyone sat down on the terraces and anyone who stood up was shouted at until they did sit down, including two policemen who came across to try and move a thousand or so now seated terrace spectators - they moved on when it became obvious that civil insurrection could be done peacefully.

Remember that game well. Over 26K in attendance that Sunday afternoon (I think it was a quarter final). Leeds had earlier beaten Hunslet in the Preliminary Round at Headingley, York at Bootham Crescent (another healthy five figure attendance) and Carlisle at Headingley. I attended all of them. Missed very few games back then, home or away.

Leeds 4 (Tries: Lee Crooks)
Widnes 24 (Tries: Joe Grima 2, Andy Currier, Richie Eyres, Martin Offiah... Goals: Andy Currier 2)

Could have been 1971. Leeds beat Cas in the Semi at Odsal (24,000+ attendance and a no mean feat victory - Cas were the CC holders having won it twice on the bounce in 69 and 70) prior to losing to a Jim Fiddler and Geoff Clarkson inspired Leigh at Wembley... two fine players who also played for Bramley in the 70's

York at Bootham Crescent was a scary day, the terracing at the end where the Leeds supporters were stood was rammed, its was one of only two occasions where I've been in a crowd and been lifted off my feet and in a surge of bodies - the other time was exiting the old Wembley after the 1977 CC Final - scary at York because you have no control and no way to stop and if I recall correctly was just after Hillsborough, which didn't calm the nerves either - and was the football fencing still in place at their ground then ?

The fencing was in place at Bootham and the game was played on Sunday 29th January 1989, a few months prior to the Hillsborough disaster. Apart from the obvious dangers of fencing, penning supporters in and the increased potential for crushing (what were the authorities thinking back then FFS?), they also hindered the view which was another reason why I always stood as close to the rear of the stands as was feasibly possible.

York 9 (Tries: Horton... Goals: St John Ellis 2... DG: Horton)
Leeds 28 (Tries: Ettingshausen 2, Bentley, Crooks, Ford, Gibson... Goals: Bentley 2)

I am about same age as Rogues and I too was at that game in Jan 1957.At first we were stood at the front near the slope ,but with the congestion us lads were moved to sit on the straw in front of the stand.1961 1ST round CC Derek Hallas scored from a kick from Lewis Jones the ball bounced nicely 10 yards out.Bootle stepped into touch to make it 5alldraw.Wigan won the replay 32-7 the score came over as we were playing rugby at school.Jack Fairbanks provoked gentleman Eric Ashton and both were sent off.1961 Championship semi Leeds11 St Helens 4. Rozzy's 2 legendary tries and the way Leeds were focused we knew we were going to win the title

My first memory of Headingley sticks in my mind vividly.
My Dad had brought me, in the late 50s, I think, to see Leeds play Batley.
It was cold, with a sp crowd, and I knew nothing about rugby. One man stood out head and shoulders from the rest.
To a boy of such tender years he was an old codger witha bald head who should have been drawing his pension.
Lewis Jones, of course. who made everything look so easy and graceful when he was on song.
I followed the team ever since then and Jones was my hero.

Rogues' memories of Leeds Wigan encounters also stirred memories of a match my Dad also took me to see. A Wigan - Leeds cup tie, I think. It was so crowded, we had to stand at the back of the ramp where the players used to come out, and I got such a buzz from the atmosphere and the person to stand out for me was Billy Boston...a larger than life figure on the wing for Wigan. Wigan always then had an aura about them for me, partly because we hardly ever played them in the days of the Yorkshire and Lancashire Leagues. I stiil have a regards for the greats of those times like Boston, Ashton, Murphy, Vollenhoven, Jones and Fox.

Phil Ford chasing Martin Offiah down,after Offiah had intercepted the ball on Wigans try line,Ford ran the corner flag between the South Stand and western Terrace to catch Offiah in front of the North Stand and bundle him into touch.

That's the first thing I remember from that day. I had hoped to make the southstand but made it about 20 yards onto the north stand and gave up. I remember having to park miles further than we usually parked and the ground and the unbelievable packed stadium. A shame it didn't erupt that day as we got tonked. The rubber man chase down was the silver lining.

My all time favourite memory was the Elland road semi final vs hull KR which ended 24-24. Unbelievable match. Slippery Morris scored down in the corner in front of us I think, I can still see him dive over the line. We missed a late drop goal which I've always believed was disallowed for being over the top of the sticks.

I think you've either mixed up the match or the player. Steve Morris didn't play for us that season which was 1985-86. In the season he did play (either 86-87 or 87-88, not sure off the top of my head) however, he did score a late try at Headingley to beat Hull KR, after they looked to have snatched the game.

Tony Currie scored a couple of tries in that 24-all drawn semi final and he had a belter of a tash... so perhaps a case of mistaken identity?

Steve Morris played for Leeds 2 seasons later (1987-8icon_cool.gif.

First match at Headingley was against London in 1999. Notable only really for taking place just after the two teams had won their CC Semis (London vs Cas at Headingley) and a few weeks before both would meet at Wembley. Leeds won 38-12 with a certain lad called Sinfield making his first ever start and at loose.

A couple of games later saw my first memorable result as Leeds beat Bradford 45-16, when I saw my first ever Headingley hat-trick scored by........erm......Andy Hay. (Also unfortunately remember 12 months later when they battered us 44-2 at Headingley).

And a few games later I watched Iestyn Harris destroy Huddersfield with a 42 point haul in a 86-6 battering......Hudds really have come a long way since then.

Favourite Headingley try......Danny McGuire vs Catalans in the 2009 playoffs from Scott Donald's punt back infield. One moment I think most like myself thought Donald had blown the chance then the next moment realising you've witnessed something special. The only try where a friend has text me straight away to say "f##k that was special".

Ah yes. I was still in my early teens then don't remember the players from back then. Does anyone remember if it really was that great a match? I would kill to see it again.

I also remember Sam Slammin' Backo piling over under the sticks in a low scoring Yorkshire cup quarter final and getting Schoey's autograph after.

Did anyone else used to collect the cards the coppers used to give out? I've still got mine.

I remember one of Hull KR's tries in the corner from their wingman (David Laws) just before half time being very dubiously awarded to say the least. Leeds should have won .. they had more possession, more field position... nobody else to blame... they had more than enough opportunities and they blew it. I feared the consequences of a replay and wasn't wrong... 0-0 at half time but anyone there could see that Leeds were buggered by half time. I Think the scoreline was only 0-1 after 60 minutes. Finished up 0-17 in front of 35,000+.


That was a very late Sam Backo try against Hull in the semi final of the Yorkshire Cup in 1988 in front of 10,384 fans on a cold October midweek evening. Leeds won 12-8 as a result and followed it up by winning the Yorkshire Cup Final against Castleford in front of 22,968 at Elland Rd. No tickets required back then. Fans were happy to pay full price at the turnstiles.

No suprises to see William Eve the lead contributor in a nostalgic memories thread.

#trappedinthepast

That costume you always wear when you're flexing away down at the gym in order to impress the other male members?

It was called spandex back in the day.

HTH

I knew that little bit of bait would draw a response.

You have to let it go, we are not in the 80's era of rugby league league any longer. It's gone.

The British Gas cards ?

I always went to home games in the 80s with my mate and his dad and his dads mate, they were in their 70s and I gave them a lift and dropped them off home, both had played for Leeds prior to WW2. Unbeknown to me and my mate both the old lads were collecting the British Gas cards for us right through that season because at that time my mate and I both had very young children.

At the end of the season you could get a book from the ground and stick your cards in it - both of the old lads did this (they used to queue up with all the kids to get the cards every home game), and after the last game they gave them to us both for our kids, nice gesture - but there's more.

They also entered both of our childrens names into a draw for a childrens "meet the players" evening and my eldest who was about three at the time was one of the kids who got an invite, so along we all went to an event that was held in what became the "Rhinos 2000" bar along with about 20 other kids and their parents, all the kids got a British Gas kitbag full of British Gas junk but the main prize for most of the young kids there was to meet their hero's and have their photos taken with them.

I'll add here that this was the Schofield clique era and prior to the idea that PR work would be part of a players contract and quite frankly the "meet the players" part was a complete farce and an embarrassment to the club and the poor fool who was running around trying to organise things. After numerous promises that "they've been training but they are on their way now" and a delay of around an hour (try explaining that to kids who are bored now) the first team players finally turned up and without stopping to say hello just strode to the bar and congregated there with their backs to the audience, when asked if one of them would come and award prizes to the kids they (almost literally) threw John Gallagher out of the huddle and then proceeded to laugh at him the whole time he stood in total embarrassment handing out prizes to 20 kids and having his photo taken.

Only two players came out of that evening with any sort of kudos from me - Roy Powell and Colin Maskill, only those two actually made an effort to go around the crowd and do the "meet and greet" bit and get down on the floor and talk to the young kids, there was a board game in the kitbag (a British Gas boardgame) and Roy ended up laying on the floor with my daughter and half a dozen other kids playing with the game for 20 mins or so, when he turned around the rest of the team had buggered off to a pub somewhere leaving the organiser to let everyone know that the evening was over.

If you had been there and then been in the Long Room after a game these days you'll appreciate what a bit of PR awareness and training has done for the game.

Started off going to Headingley in early 80s in North Stand with my father before going into South Stand with pals when independence hit. Given the amount of dross we sometimes had to sit through in those years, some of main memories are from off the field. The *smell* of the North Stand for one: 10% wood veneer, 30% pipe tobacco, 60% cheap cigars. Transported right back there on the rare occasion nowadays when I get the waft of a pipe.

My uncle was connected with the club at that time and sometimes I'd go to games with him and be sat in the central section, his seat being directly behind Arthur Clues, who was an old man by then but still very much larger than life and when he was talking about the game you'd listen.

Also as a young boy if with my uncle would go into the post-game hospitality in the old pavilion (chicken legs, vol-au-vents, top spread) and see the players. I clearly remember after one cold midweek night game leaving the pavilion through the small cricket stand that was then at the back of it and through the dark seeing Terry Webb in the cricket seats literally with a fag hanging from his mouth and a miniskirted girl hanging from each arm. "Mind you don't get injured Webbo!"..."I'll be alright, mate".

I started going to games in 93 but one of my favourite memories has to be against Castleford in 96. England were playing Spain in Euro 96 and the game was shown on Sky's big screen and as a rather tense Academy game ground to an end England won the penalty shoot out and I remember the Loiners and Cas first teams watching that rather than warming up with the South Stand cheering very loudly before continuing their disgust at the state of the club

Seen my fair share of wins and losses at Headingley, in league, cup, and Tests, although the ledger is in favour of wins.

I, too, made the trip like Rogues in 1991, and paid for it the next day with a thumping hangover.
I think my favourite was the following season, 1991-92. You had niled us at Central Park, in scoring 19 yourselves, in the November. A very rare occurence.
The return was the following March, and Wigan returned the compliment by scoring 24 themselves, leaving me with, I'm afraid, a smug grin on leaving the Western Terrace.
The highlight that day for me was Dean Bell, either taking a tap 20, or first pass from it (can't remember exactly now), and racing down the South Stand side on a curving run, scoring in the corner without a finger being laid on him.

Always enjoyed my trips to yours.

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPdkL8w_QogThanks for not mentioning the Premiership Trophy Semi in the same season at Central Park![/url

Hi, long time lurker, first time poster. As it's the 42nd anniversary of my first game, I thought this would be the ideal time and topic to jump in.

Like a lot of people on here, I tagged along with my dad and got bitten by the bug at an early age. My earliest memories are of the sound of the crowd and the smell of embrocation, rather than any specific action on the field. I have been lucky to see some fantastic players over the years but I just missed out on seeing the legendary Mick Shoebottom, though I went to his testimonial game against Gt Britain. I made my first trip to Wembley that season but missed out on the championship win, thus setting the tone for the next 32 years!!

I did have the pleasure and privilege of watching John Holmes, a true rugby league magician, the most unselfish player I've ever seen and we've always been lucky at Leeds to have had exciting backs on the books. Of the large number of games I've seen, a few stand out; the two 70 nil games against Saints and Wigan in an atmosphere I'd never felt before at Headingley, the World Club Challenge against Manly, a game possibly also against Saints which Leeds won despite Schoey being sin binned and then sent off after talking back to the referee on his way off the field and yet another Saints game (the same game, even?) in which Bobbie Goulding missed an easy last minute conversion which would have won the game. It was always fun watching Graham Murray's '99 team and who wouldn't go back in time to relive the 2004 season again?

So many memories, the good ones just about managing to dim the bad ones!

That was in 97, after schoey's time. Fantastic game that. Week before we lost by a point to wigan at home 16-17. Gouldings kick was just to the right of the posts, still can't believe he missed it.