Right you lot - I had quite a struggle with that last lot of programme notes (I had to do some writing!!!

).

I know we were all pretty down, but it's time to get dusted off and back on the horse - we hope that the first team can do that tomorrow!

So, what memories of games against Bradford? The Sonny Whakarau qtr final? The first SL win against them at BV? The night at Odsal that set up our SL survival? The game in 1989 at Odsal during our survival fight?????

There's a lot to go at here, so over to you......

yes trb i willl need time to respnd if that ok with you?? please confirm it is.

What's wrong with that???

I was a ball boy back in the 1992/3 season....
Highlight - Nigel Wright's drop goal against Leeds (I'm sure he gets further and further away the more the years pass!)
Lowlight - Neil Summers 'try that never was' for Northern in the Cup I think it was. Ref Robin Whitfield, despite being miles away, somehow gave the try despite it being plonked down on the 10 yard line, or something as preposterous! I should have asked him about it when he was playing for Wakefield RFC and I was covering their games for Ridings FM, but I just never got the chance!

ooooooooooooh no he didnt!!

PS NOTE TO ALL DONT TRUST TRBS EDITING!
hehehehehe

on a serious not was only talking about the survival games today and for life of me I can remeber no real details, i went to them all, and it took over my life in that period, i remember the after match stuff really well but the actual games no.

Once upon a time



Brings back some mixed emotions from the Survival season. A game at Odsal we had to win and a long night for some of us. My oldest son played for Dewsbury moor and they had arranged a weekend tour in London with 3 games booked, Of course i had no choice but to go with him and could not get to Odsal for the game, so ended up trying to listen to the radio on the coach but as we got further down south lost all coverage.
It then became a phone job from a friend at the game and a nerve biting hour or so, some of the lads were Leeds/Bradford fans and spent the journey winding us up.
Watched the game on Sky in the hotel bar and got some strange looks from none rugby guests staying with us, they really don't know how to celebrate a night like that.

JD's run from behind the line will live with me for a long time.

Whatabout Freddie's bird flashing her jugs? Didn't Phil Clarke make a comment on Sky about her?

Yeah lets move on.

Freddie is a legend



They were still there when sky were packing up to go.

Sid something like "it aint over till the fat lady sings" Stevo said "it is now then" Something like that any way.

Nothing quite so glamorous, I'm afraid, but I do remember a midweek game at Odsal against Northern before the 1979 final.

The great experiment of resting virtually the entire first team back-fired big time, and on that particular evening, the Wakey away support, of which I think there were 3 of us, had the pleasure of enjoying George Ballantine as one of the most senior players to take the field. We held on for quarter of an hour, after which we were solidly gubbed.

A moronic rendition of "you're not off to Wembley, you're not off to Wembley, na na na nah...." for about 10 minutes, which incurred the wrath of one female Northern supporter in particular, plus fish and chips and Harry Ramsdens on the way home, made up for what was otherwise a very unspectacular and depressing evening.

Like Al said just remember it being a very deeply emotional time and people around you either understood or they didnt, the fact is we knew if we got relegated then there was probably no way back, we were not popular with the rfl, sponsors would have gone, most of us knew our "name" players were already off to pastures new. it wasnt just super league survival it was club and many friendships forged on sundays all over europe on the line.....and it meant more than I ever though supporting a sports team would.

I suppose its like this.......I thought it was all going to go away, the fun the laughs, the sheer excitement, the bloody mindedness you had to have to be a wtrlfc fan, and on that night in bradford suddenley we had hope.

looking back it was the start of what the club is now, probably the proudest professional sporting club in this country at present and certainly one of the most respected.

Scratty rough-house hags screeching poorly expressed obscenities at us as we walked back into town, because we were victorious (albeit quiet and unassuming) Wakey fans and they were ungracious losers. I wouldn't mention it if it was only a one off, but I remember similar on a couple of occasions.

might need to edit that one a tad for the programme!

I have done.

yeah good point you put hags!
give you that!

TRB mentioned 1989. One game I will always remember. Topliss was in charge that year. There had been many yo yo years beforehand. We needed one win to secure survival. Night match at Odsal. We went along not expecting anything at all. It was tight at half time with little in it. Paul Mallinder had gone off to hospital with a broken leg. We came out and blew them away in the second half finishing 28 points to something winners if my memory serves me correctly. We then went on a winning run at the end of the season beating Saints at BV the week before they were due yo play the cup final. Season finished at Thrum Hall Halifax. We were getting hammered at half time then Billy Conway came on and we destroyed them in the second half. Tracey Lazenby was superb for us back end of that season.

Great memories - exactly as I remember them.



I also remember that at the Thrum Hall game there was an exhibition match by the Womens RL. There was one player who was the female equivalent of Ellery Hanley!

My missus later went on to play RL with the Wakefield Panthers - without any doubt the most successful RL team to represent Wakefield - if only they were based in Wakefield!

For me it has to be the superleague survival game at odsal, main reason being it happens to be where i took my gf on our first date, shes a Bulls fan and me a Wildcat. Happy to say shes still with me after we upset the odds, and then getting the double feeling of relief when looking at the Video screen for it to reveal that Salford had beaten Castleford setting up for me the greatest Wakefield home game ever.

forgot the score but its was a very cold blustery wednesday night when Andy wilson intercepted to score the game breaking try.

Hey up - I thought there'd be a bit more enthusiasm for this one TBH.

Anymore for anymore..... please!

I remember standing in a big bowl of a stadium that comprised mainly of mud, squinting into the distance as some big fellas in brown and white shirts whose only game plan was to drive it forward and roll around in the mud. And there was no atmosphere.

Insert whatever year you want and it will fit.

Okay, if we're going to play the game, I remember Terry Crook being sent off at Odsal, back when the dressing rooms were at the top of the terraces, and he had to get back there by snaking through the Bradford fans, little old ladies waving their brollies at him. Or maybe I was just told about it.

1969 Challenge Cup second round and we drew Bradford Northern away. Unfortunately for Northern we were in the middle of a deep freeze and the Odsal pitch remained frozen for so long they were ordered to play the game at Headingley which had a heated pitch at that time.
Playing for Bradford at the time was Berwyn Jones, the fastest man in R.L. who had moved from Wakefield under "unfortunate circumstances" allegedly, and there was no love lost between him and Trinity. Midway through the second half, with Bradford trying to clear their own line, the ball reached Jones who had eighty yards to go and the defence queuing up to greet him. Three solid attempts were made to tackle him and all three were beaten by sheer speed down the outside. The final forty yards or so were covered in solitary splendour and he finished the run with a glorious swallow dive in the corner. In his eagerness to humiliate Trinity he had, of course, omitted to run behind the sticks, and on a windy and bitterly cold night the coversion attempt was too much for Phillips and the game ended in a draw 7 - 7, with Trinity winning the replay 10 - 0.

I think that time has interfered with your memory a touch here old pal. It happened at B/V BJ picked a loose ball up in the corner where the players' now come out. He set off down the wing towards Donny Rd and hugged the touchline all the way down. Joe Bonnar who we had bought from Workington Town set off after him and making him do so. Supposedly the fastest man in RL and little joe made him go into the corner for the try because had he tried to go under the sticks Bonnar would have caught him.
And we went on and won the replay. That is of course unless there were two similar incidents

I remember all too well we were on the wrong end of a 50 5 score line young Steve Tinker played at stand off he was a great young prospect but his career was cut short a few seasons latter due to injury

The games that I remember best were a 15 15 draw at belle Vue in 1980/81 and the JPS Cup QF at Odsal that we lost 16 13 in 1980 maybe the best 2 tries I have ever seen both scored by Bill Ashurst. the first at Odsal only about 25 yards out but 2 or 3 dummies and over under the sticks for a great solo effort. the 2nd at Belle Vue was pure class a little kick over the top took in one hand dummy dummy and over for a great try that some on this site will remember well.

I also remember a great 30 5 win away at Odsal in 1980 in the Yorkshire cup and the return league game a week latter at Odsal when our injury hit team went down 27 3 after Paul McDermott opened the scoring for us
great memories of games at Odsal in the days when the players stayed on the field at half time because the dressing rooms were too far away and the players used to make there way back off the pitch at the end through the crowd and up the terrace.

remember one Sunday afternoon game about 1991 which we won n Tracey lazenby was man of the match . remember it more for a young 18 year old being carried over the pitch during the first half by the stewards after suffering sun stroke. he was taken to hospital for a head scan as he smacked his head on the step as he went down . the lad apparently was suffering from concussion and was OK until his mum turned up at pinderfields and questioned why he had consumed 10 pernos n black before the game. that lad had never touched perno again and normally shades from the sun


can not remember the game from around the 15 minute mark apart from peter fox got a lot off verbals whilst walking down the touch line.