Franny Jarvis?

Keith Bridges.

Fantastic. I'll look forward to reading that. Paul Newlove was the best centre I ever saw. I know it didn't end well but he was brilliant to watch. I grew up watching Jimmy Thompson and Keith Brisges. I think Eddie Warinf called them the Thompson twins. And hurray for Davey Dobbs with five drives and a kick straight into touch.

I think hobbs's greatest claim to fame at Odsal was when he was coach. He decided that, for pre season, instead of doing some weights and training by running around and throwing a ball about, it would be better if they went cycling round the dales, followed by some cycling up steep hills and then, as a change, do some long distance cycle tours.

I think we avoided relegation but it was a close call.

To be fair to Hobbsy, he was a damn fine player though.

Going back to the seventies I seem to remember 2 centres ......Vaughan Thomas and Les Thomas .......I think one of them came from Fev.
Is there anybody out there that knows whether that is the case. Played inside Berwyn Jones I think.

Pretty certain Les Thomas came from Wales to Keighley and then transferred to us

Vaughan Thomas did indeed play for Fev first and he scored a 40-yard breakaway try in the 1967 Challenge Cup Final at Wembley.

Thanks to both of you. That fits in nicely with what I thought was the case. Strange that I can remember more from 45 years ago than I can remember from last week. It's a long shot but anybody remember, or know how to find out, who completed the backs line up.....Price, Jones, Thomas, Thomas & ............?????

Franny Jarvis comes from Bradford, went to Saint Georges school near Otley Road. Maybe he played for Fev, I have forgotten, due to age and Beer. Saw him 3 months ago at 5 lane ends, and he still looks uglier than a butchers dog..

Nice article on Vaughan Thomas here... marklaspalmas.blogspot.co.uk/201 ... homas.html

Nice article on Vaughan Thomas here... marklaspalmas.blogspot.co.uk/201 ... homas.html

The superb George Ambrum would have been around at that time, Geoff Wrigglesworth ditto.

I can still remember the back line from my first ever Bradford Northern game in 1969

Price, Jones. Stockwell, Wrigglesworth, Ambrum

Like someone else said, I can remember back 40-odd years better than I can recall the team from last weekend

Someone's just assured me Colin Forsyth played for Fev and us.

I know we got him from York, around the same time we got David Barends, not sure where he went after leaving us though.

Just checked on Wiki and they mention us and then Wakey, though I'm certain he came from York so it could be an incomplete record.

Today's feature is Dale Fennell - www.featherstonerovers.net/article.php?id=13502 Hopefully tomorrow, Keith Bridges

Today's feature is Dale Fennell - www.featherstonerovers.net/article.php?id=13502 Hopefully tomorrow, Keith Bridges

Quote ="Bulliac"I know we got him from York, around the same time we got David Barends, not sure where he went after leaving us though. Just checked on Wiki and they mention us and then Wakey, though I'm certain he came from York so it could be an incomplete record.'" I just googled Colin Forsyth Featherstone Rovers and this came up about Les Tonks. CF is mentioned in the second para. marklaspalmas.blogspot.co.uk/201 ... tonks.html

Quote ="Bulliac"I know we got him from York, around the same time we got David Barends, not sure where he went after leaving us though. Just checked on Wiki and they mention us and then Wakey, though I'm certain he came from York so it could be an incomplete record.'" I just googled Colin Forsyth Featherstone Rovers and this came up about Les Tonks. CF is mentioned in the second para. marklaspalmas.blogspot.co.uk/201 ... tonks.html

Foss joined Northern in the 1974/5 season and stayed six years, so it seems he was at Fev before joining York.

Many of these older, on-line, playing records are nowhere near complete though and most, in fact nearly all, of my paper stuff is in books which are mostly Northern/Bulls related, as I guess you might expect. It does make it difficult to put things into any kind of accurate chronological order sometimes..

That's it .....George Ambrum. He didn't stay very long but don't know why.
Now I need to write it all down and store it somewhere.....then write down where I stored it. I've been trying to remember that for years. Oh joy.

I well remember the trip to Wembley for the 1973 CC Final. A highly unlikely Northern team had somehow blagged their way to the showpiece, but we all knew it wouldn't end well. In the end, and especially with hindisight (well, and without hindsight!) looking at the packs man-for-man, it was actually a creditable show from Northern. Though it must be said - What a fine back line we had. The teams were:

Featherstone Rovers team:
C Kellett,
P Coventry, M Smith, J Newlove (Capt.), K Kellett.
M Mason, S Nash,
L Tonks, K Bridges, V Farrar, A Rhodes, J Thompson, R Stone,
Subs: D Hartley, B Hollis

Bradford Northern team:
E Tees (Capt.),
M Lamb, D Stockwell, B Watson, D Redfearn,
M Blacker, B Seabourne,
B Hogan, P Dunn, A Long, W Pattinson, G Joyce, S Fearnley
Subs: D Treasure, S Gallacher

historian Nigel Williams. Doubt it's still commercially available but some copies may be around on ebay and such like.

Colin Forsyth, the original "pocket battleship" was an amazing player, and pretty much unstoppable near the line despite not being that big. He was a York favourite and was up for their Hall of Fame, don't know if he got in but would have thought it a banker. I was at his last game for York, he came on as sub and played like a tiger against the Northern, destroying us single-handed, a bit like super-sub Paul Medley used to do many years later. We weren't having that, so after the weekend we bought him. Can't remember the fee but £5,000 rings a bell.

Another fantastic signing from York was the speedy winger David Barends.

Quote ="Lucky Luke"Nice article on Vaughan Thomas here... marklaspalmas.blogspot.co.uk/201 ... homas.html'" Hurray for me! Ta.

Quote ="Lucky Luke"Nice article on Vaughan Thomas here... marklaspalmas.blogspot.co.uk/201 ... homas.html'" Hurray for me! Ta.

Great article....would never have believed John Newlove was younger..........like Jimmy Thompson to look at 30 going on 60...........never saw them with their teeth in.

Ha ha, I know him well played for him at Undercliffe and his son is a very good friend of mine. Think there was a thread about him on the fev total rl board recently. Actually played with him once tough so and so referee had to tell the coach to substitute him otherwise he would find a reason to send him off he was doing that much damage in defence it wasn't pleasant to see ha ha

Vince Farrar....Tough as old boot's number 10...he did some damage to us in 1973 at Wembley.. Very nice bloke off the pitch as well.