Aye We would have stayed up with ease the following season.in fact you could have relegated huddersfield/salford and wakey and promoted leigh oldham and widnes and Sl would have stronger for it.All three of us were bigger and better clubs at the time.Then they began to take the sport out of it

In 2000 we played Oldham at home in the major semi and beat them to qualify for the final and face Dewsbury.

In 2001 we played Oldham in the first round of the play offs at HP and lost 15-14. Oldham went on to win an epic away to Rochdale to qualify for the final while we lost to eventual GF winners Widnes at HP.

In a time when Lancashire ruled the NFP

Apart from when Dewsbury won it, of course! We did have to beat Fev in the 2001 play offs as well to be fair.

Well the rfl managed to destroy hunslet who had a great team would not let them up,dewsbury same and keighley who invented all the razzle dazzler they use to do in super league until a few years ago, got turned down and it destroyed all them clubs not promotion and struggling to play in the big boys league but being turmed down by uncle mo sat there with his leather gimp mask on being oiled by fat thong wearing super league chairmen

There was a rumour doing the rounds at the time about a chairman excepting a large brown envolope to turn down promotion to sl,cant remember if it was dewsbury or kieghley. i believe he dissappeared of the scene afterwards.

Let's be honest though, how on earth would the grounds at Hunslet or Dewsbury cope with regular games against Leeds, Bradford etc?

They'd have been full Matt

tempory stands like they allowed hull kr to do but were turned down

remeber keighley were pulling in great crowds whos to say they could not have grown,but now we will never know

I'd rather see 6000 packed into Cougar Park (Grrrr) than 1500 echoing round The Racecourse Ground.

Leigh had been told before kick off that promotion was out of the question

I didn't mention Keighley Jonny as I think they'd have been great in Super League and had already managed to host big crowds etc.

Arky definitely played. May have been sub but he played.

Arky did play! Thought he should have been given a penalty towards the end when he was dragged into touch after the tackle was complete but was never given!

But I didnt

Arky missed most of the season with a knee problem but made it for the final, it was to be his last game before he was advised to retire due to the ongoing problems.

Anyone know the results from the play-offs in 2000? I can't get hold of them anywhere.

Also if, if's and maybe's were fivers and tenners we would all be millionaires. I think thats the saying.

It was the year that Leigh finished 4th and had to play Dewsbury away. Sid was sent off after 2 mins, Alan Cross and Liam Bretherton tore Dewsbury apart and I think we won 25-12

We got Home advantage and beat Oldham 18-10 with about 6400 on ?

Keighley kicked off as I think they finished second (to be honest, they were struggling financially then) as they had to play Dewsbury I think in the Final eliminator. Dewsbury won and played us.

Turning point of the final was with 5 mins to go at 12-12. Sid mad a break down the left and had players left and right for a simple walk in. He chose to kick.

Agar drop goal = game over.

Think Higham scored both tries and Bretherton both goals. You could see then, that Higham was going to be a bloody good hooker.

Correct all counts there Snowy I think. Alan Cross was the first player to suffer the "Leigh winger curse" in a Grand Final curse and had a nightmare, though I remember Ingy putting in a huge effort to palm the ball back inside to prevent a Barry Eaton 40-20.

That Oldham semi was an absolute epic, in fact I mentioned it earlier in the week on the Fev board when discussing Oldham's current plight - they must have brought close to 3,000 fans that day. I was on holiday in the fortnight prior to it (so missed the Dewsbury away game) but ended it a couple of days early as we thought the Oldham game was all-ticket

Remember it well and I never forgave Sid for kicking instead of passing the ball