[size=150=redCHERRY&WHITE CENTRAL PARK PAGE LINK: wigan.rlfans.com/fusion_pages/in ... page_id=48 [/size wigan.rlfans.com/fusion_pages/in ... page_id=48 Working to improve the Central Park page on the site with some of your memories. Add stuff to this thread like Favourite matches, Favourite moments, your Central Park matchday routine, your position of choice in the ground etc etc. Anything you can add to the page reply to this and we'll stick them on the site.

[size=150=redCHERRY&WHITE CENTRAL PARK PAGE LINK: wigan.rlfans.com/fusion_pages/in ... page_id=48 [/size wigan.rlfans.com/fusion_pages/in ... page_id=48 Working to improve the Central Park page on the site with some of your memories. Add stuff to this thread like Favourite matches, Favourite moments, your Central Park matchday routine, your position of choice in the ground etc etc. Anything you can add to the page reply to this and we'll stick them on the site.

The stench of as you walked around the back of the pop. aaaah the memories





I'll have a think

Me and my Dad would go and Park in Scholes near my Grandparents about an hour before Kick off and then wander down to the ground at about 2.30. We'd stand in the corner of the Kop with the same old fellas each week and then my Grandad would join us about 5 mins before kick off. Some real characters around at the time. One guy was a road sweeper who lived in Goose Green/Marus Bridge called Dave. He had a massive limp, massive side burns and a bit of a speech impediment. His favourite calls were "Get him snotted" and "Rip his head off". Quite sad but as people stopped coming due to ill health and death we moved to the other side of the kop, near the sky screen and free bridge, until the stadium closed.

One of my favourite matches was my first when Wigan played Hull KR in 1985 and Phil Ford scored in the corner where I was stood, the gate on to the pitch near the sky screen.

The other was Wigan and Manly when we were packed in like sardines. The guy behind us needed the loo so he filled his formally empty pint pot and put it on the floor. He then knocked it over and all down my Dad's leg. Not a very happy chap after that.


I used to go and watch a few A team matches with my mate and his Dad and we'd sit on top of the dug out and Listen to Murphy swear. At half time and sometimes during the match we'd play rugby in the in goal areas.

Queing down the side of the Duggie for cup final tickets, spent hours there. Then you had to go up the stairs and into the offices and all the tickets were spread on a table for you to choose from. Happy days.

I wouldn't know were to start

Happy Days

Technically Central Park was a dump.

But what an atmosphere - when it was full, and everyone was packed in and you couldn't move, it was amazing. That's one of the reasons I like, from time to time, to go to the old grounds like Knowsley Road. They're from a byegone era. (Cough)

The new grounds are far better, with great facilities, the ability to see no matter where you are stood, or sat, but all too often there's one vital thing missing. Atmosphere. Central Park had masses of it, even there was only 12,000 on - a third full - it was great.

Do I miss CP? No, not really. We have to move on.

Really wish I'd been a rugby fan when we were at central park, sounds like a great place to watch the game

are you open to opinions of saints fans?

i remember sitting on the wall with my legs dangling over once and i fell off and gary connolly came over, picked me up and put me back on

I remember my dad helping me onto the wall once during an academy game when i was about 7, and when his back was turned, a ball from a kick came and hit him straight on the back of the head and bounced back onto the pitch, i enjoyed poking the lump for a few weeks. =D

I always went with my dad and we'd stand on the popular side right at the back, but because I was small I used to stand on the concrete blocks about 3 foot tall - either side of the steps to the bar. We always used to be on the one right under the time keeper so the hooter always used to make me jump. Best Game I think was vs Hunter in 97 simply for the atmosphere (even if Smith did rob us with their last try being a mile forward.)

I remember one game at the start of a season (dont know which one) when we played Cas and the announcer said ''let's see if they're tigers or just big pussy cats'' God knows why I remember that

Great times

I remember one game a few years before the place was closed down for good we were watching Wigan Saints and Shaun Edwards had just gone in under the sticks, this was a couple of mins after half time and I was with my Older Brother he'd just bought a couple of pints and before I could even get it near my lips he threw his arms up in the air as we scored and covered some poor old bloke in front with beer, the guy hadn't moved all the first half and we were debating if he was actually still with us, well yes he was after that....

One memorie that will always stick wit me is one of the home comings.
Don't know which one (there where so many).
all the players sat along the cross bar, with simply the best ringing around the ground.




the memories

I remember the homecomings mainly for Nicky Kiss grabbing the microphone off anybody who had it so he could show off his quality singing skills

I think it was the 97/98 season and we were playing Bradford on a rainy, dark night. Everyone was squashed into the cattle shed stand to avoid the rain and it was packed. The atmosphere was amazing and the game was so close.

Another memory is the last game versus saints. We tore all sorts of memorabilia down to take away with us. 4 of us were carrying a massive 'Cental Park' sign up towards O'Neills pub where I worked at the time. The police came past us and said "We're going to do a lap of the block and come back. If we see you still standing here with that sign we'll do you for vandalism'. We, of course, were legless so we just stood there grinning. The police came back and just shook their heads laughing. We sold the sign to a bloke who'd come up to the game from Wales and he took it back on the train. I think we charged him 4 quid as that would be 2 pints and there were only two of us left in the pub and we knew we were far to drunk to carry the bloody thing home.



I also remember my first game there. It was versus Workington and I was about 8 or 9. My brother took me. I remember a pie and coke was the order of the day and the feeling of knowing that this was what I was going to watch for the rest of my life.

Happy days.

I think my first ever game, was a friendly game against Featherstone Rovers.
Went with my dad, cousin and uncle. Don't remember an awful lot.
Sat in the Douglas Stand thats about all i can remember.

Just had a look at some of the new pics on the cherryandwhite website and they still make me feel quite bitter.
Everytime i walk up tesco car park it sends shivers down my spine.
I always feel really childish i wanna start running like i'm scoring a length of the field try. (i know sad isn't it)

I remember a game in the very early nineties against Saints when there were 30,000 on and i was with my Dad. I'd never seen it that full before and was awe struck. Me and my dad made it to the kop end were we always stood and it was jam packed with Saints fans. I ended up getting separated from my dad by about 10 rows of people and being only about 8 or 9 was cacking myself but it was probably the best time i ever had watching us. They were great blokes and made sure i was allright during the game(even though we beat them

) and that i got back to my dad.

Another game i always remember for some reason was losing to Wakefield on a wet wednesday night with a young Henry Paul ripping us apart from Full back for Wakefield. We signed him not long after.

The last game was so special aswell. The atmosphere was like nothig i'd heard before. I remember being wet through from everyone throwing there pints up everytime we scored a try. Also remember sitting around singing for about 2 hours after the game had finished. It was sad but a great way to finish things.

Happy happy days.

I remember one good friday derby game (1995 i think) when i sneaked out the house and on the train to the match with shingles! My sister helped me put dressings and pads all over the blisters on my shoulders and back and off i went with my mates. When it got really packed i started telling everyone around me how badly my shingles were itching! I had plenty of space all around me for the whole game



Another good memory was the last few years at CP when i was on crutches due to due ongoing knee ligament and cartilage damage. Each game I would be quite drunk and easily lose my balance so the steward at the back of the Popular Stand (Dave Whittle's dad i think) used to lift me on the wall outside the bar and keep me up there for the game. The only bad thing was when the hooter sounded it went right down my ear!

The gang we stood with were always throwing beer and singing, thanks to C+W i have been able to get back in touch with some of them too since moving South

I remember a game against leeds my dad took me and my mate, We was sat on wall and wigan scored so we was kicking off to them and fallon was right infront of us and my mate shouted fallon bulge ,and he turned round and said (we was bout 10-11 at the time) fu*k off you corny little t*at

First game I went to was Wigan Vs Wakefield in 94, still have the program. My biggest memory is watching the Australian Series, Canterbury, Canberra, and Brisbane in 97? Went to all three, got the programs and the flag. Amazing atmosphere. Even had a Brisbane fan ask would I hold his flag for him, cheeky git! Used to stand where the bins now are on Tesco

.

D.

I'll always remember the 7's competition they used to hold before the start of a season!! They were fantastic days!!



Also the home coming after the cup final

Sunday afternoon games, watching the Academy team rip the opposition to pieces before the start of the main event. It was the way the atmosphere would build up from about 2 dozen speccies at the beginning.

Could go on for hours but here's 3;
Watching Billy Boston score tries in the early 60's: there always seemed to be half a dozen blokes lying dazed on the floor after trying to stop him

Watching the hopeless teams of the 70's with the odd real hero like George Fairbairn

As a kid taking a bugle with me (I couldn't play it) when Wigan beat the Aussies 12-6 in 1967 and wondering why the entire crowd had moved as far away as they could get

I started watching Wigan when I was about 7 and I would go with my Dad. We would stand right in fromt of the bar in the Popular stand. Coz I was only little my Dad would bring to every match a red milk crate that I would stand on. And coz we stood at the back every time we scored everyone would push forward and I would get squished on the barriers!!! It was great!

In 1999 I was at Winstanley College studying A Level Media and for my video project did a 3 minute tribute to Central Park. After the Final Match there, later on in the week I got to go in Central Park when there was no one there. It was really eerie and I remeber crying a bit. Has to be one of the worst things I have ever seen, the day that te bulldozers moved in.

At least we have our memories of a great Rugby League Home.

ah memories -

the game where we had the ball for about 15 mins without the opposition touching it, and scored about 5 tries

when a try was scored, and you ended up hugging anyone and everyone, jumping up and down in a seathing mass of arms, bodies and plastic beer glasses

the last game - i cried, and im not ashamed about it.

i have my seat from the popular stand in my front room, (all wrought iron, wood, and pie juice and beer stains), so i think about CP nearly every day