What do people remember about this game? A true championship playoff. Last game of the season, Widnes were top, 1 point clear of Wigan before kick off.

Also, was the day after Hillsborough.

I remember it being packed solid.

I remember Offiah leaving Preston in his wake.

But mostly I remember a Wigan fan shouting racist abuse at Offiah until he was informed that there was a 6 foot 2" black guy, built like a brickhouse glaring at him, stood about ten yards behind him. A gentle tap on the shoulders soon stopped all that....!!!

Offiah hat trick for them Widnes, one from a dead set knock on in the 1st half.

Full house at Naughton Park

I remember he didnt leave him for dead his run and angle made him difficult to track. He was faster than Preston no doubt but not much.

It was, but his last try was pure class. Some of the Wigan fans that day knew sod all about RL.

"He can only run"


Offiah, beat three men with swerve, sidestep and breathtaking pace. Superb try. I applauded him back to the half way line (through gritted teeth of course)

Enough to score trys which really matters.

Agreed, never said he didnt.

Totally O/T, does anyone know who we played at Central Park on the day of the Hillsborough tragedy? reserve game maybe?

I remember going to the game and finding out about the tragic events when we returned to Gems for a few beers after the match.

We moved house that day, and didn't know what had happened.
Surreal.

I remember a few weeks later at the Wigan v Saints final and singing "You'll never walk alone"
Everyone was in floods of tears.

my memory of Offiah was cringing when he was in defence and thinking it a dead cert the other team would score,then the hairs on the back of your neck standing up knowing that he had the ball and any thing could happen,the days of the lengh of the field try's. standing in the pop stand singing cherry and white army,memories that will keep me a Wigan fan forever

He was a good 6 foot in front of him the whole way on that diagonal run!

Mark Preston was no slouch but as soon as Offiah saw daylight, there was only ever going to be one winner.

Shame Mark Preston seemed to disappear quite suddenly around 93ish, didnt he go to Halifax for a while after Wigan?

Talking of matches against Widnes at CP. Which year was it that one of the O'Neil brothers leg snapped very badly and it could be heard round the ground ? The Granada cameras were there, and they had to warn the audience of the sight. It was a real sickening break.

I was 12. The only thing i remember is them playing queen's we are the champions whilst we were walking out of the ground.

Bout 84ish?

Bloody awful that, they kept repeating it on Granada Reports, it looked like it was made of rubber. Worst I've ever seen.

There was a bloke from Widnes stood near us. He'd barely said a word during the first half, but was seriously baiting us all through the second. After Offiah's third try, he came close to getting decked. Laughing and poking at us. Said something like: "You might be a good team, but you've never had a player this good and never will."

If only he'd known that Chariots had no plans to spend his whole career at Widnes.

I think Wigan wanted him to go full time and he didnt want to give up his job so went to Halifax instead.

That can't be right, Wigan were all full time professionals from 1985 weren't they?

I spoke to Mark Preston a few years ago and can't remember the exact details of the conversation. I do recall that the reason for leaving was he couldn't (or wouldn't) meet John Monie's instructions to add a couple of stones in weight. I remember saying that such an increase would severely and adversly affect his speed, to which Mark agreed. A damned shame really, but Monie was the boss!

I heard that Monie had asked him to switch from his hair being parted on the right to it being parted on the left.

doubt that as we signed Myers instead and he was smaller

David Myers was a lot bulkier than Preston

no he wasnt

yes he was

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh no he wasnt