It seems quite a long time since we played fixtures against Blackpool doesn't it ?
I think this fixture will probably be their first to the Shay, anyone ?

Definitely.

Anyone know when the last game was?

It will have been against Chorley during our first year in the nl.

We played Oldham Roughyeds at Chorley, Not Chorley Lynx.

Im sure I can remember playing Chorley at one point though

Twice we played Chorley Borough at Victory Park (but not Blackpool, who we haven't met to the best of my knowledge since I resumed watching rugby league in 198icon_cool.gif - first on 4 March 1990 and then the following season 1990/91 (though I don't recall the exact date). The most recent game in which Halifax played at Chorley was, as Brew has said, a 'home' match for Oldham (banished from Boundary Park due to pitch work).

Strictly speaking Chorley were a new club anyway.

When Blackpool closed in 1987 the remnants of the club turned up in Wigan as Springfield Borough and then mutated into Trafford Borough.

So the last time we played them would have been April 1990 when we murdered Trafford 66-somthing at Thrum Hall in the game that clinched promotion.

Chorley was a club set up the old Blackpool directors who didn't agree with going to Wigan.

I suspect that the last time that Halifax played Blackpool was in the 1983/84 promotion season but I've asked Andrew Hardcastle for advice on this.

Anyone remember Blackpool beating us in the old John Player in 1977 ish and getting to the final?

yes..their coach was Jim Crellin

His next job was at Thrum Hall...he was the coach who masterminded the Cawoods defeat.....

Jim Crellin & Peter Birchall wasn't it ?

I remember Peter Astbury playing for us around that period, he was a bit of a tiger

Yes Peter was his number two.
They both the day after Cawoods as did cpatain Lee Greenwood.

I think someone told me once that the first training session after nine players turned up.

So next time you think it can't get any worse.....

Mick Scott suffered the Cawoods defeat but was a member of the 1986 Championship winning team and the 1987 Wembley team. Talk about highs and lows!

Peter Astbury later came back to the club as chief scout for Roger Millward.

I do believe you are correct, Piston. Blackpool were near the foot of the table and we surpringly lost at Thrummers. If I remember rightly the score was summat like 16-20 and their scrum half Jimmy Fairhurst had a stormer. I also remember the Scratin Shed "faithful" chanting "Blackpool" near the end.

Anyone remember 1978/79?

When we thought we were going up? And Blackpool amazingly came through on the rails with their games in hand?

Yes I do, and we Borough fans still dine out on it

(it's been Aldi Baked Beans most of the way since mind)

The key fixture was the Thursday night at Borough Park - Borough, with around 10 first team regulars out, turned over Fax 11-3 to set up the promotion clincher with Whitehaven on the Sunday.

Our run in that season saw us play Mon/Thurs/Sun/Thurs/Sun. We had to win the last 3 (the first one was at York) to stand any chance and somehow, with a ridculously injury hit squad, we did it.

The one Fax/Pool game that really sticks in my mind though was the midweek win at Thrum Hall in 81/2, when we'd gone something like 15 games without a win (Oct - March I think it was), turned up on a Weds night with less hope than a penguin at the equator and Jimmy Fairhurst (ex Wire stand off - the word mecurial was invented for him) had the game of his short Borough career, sending the travelling army of oooh, I'd guess about 20 of us, into something approaching a state of high normally only available illegally (but achieved quite legally in the Barge & Barrell at Elland afterwards).

Following a crap team all these years has had it's moments, I'll tell you

I was at that game and remember the reason given for the Blackpool full back dropping a bomb was that he had only one eye! I assume this was said in jest!

I also remember the big blonde centre - Major?

I remember Fairhurst.
Blonde haired lad from Leigh.

The bloke who sticks out in that 1978/79 side was Norman Turley.
How many goals did he drop that season?!

I seem to remember that Albert Fearnley was the coach and that he then moved to Keighley and took a lot of players with him - Norman Brelsford, Jimmy Hamilton, Bak Diabira

I think there was a player called Ged Marsh?

If it was Ted Roberts, he appeared crossed eyed, but yes, only one of them worked.

The centre, Graham Mayor, played in the promotion season of 78/9, think he came from Salford.

The Fairhurst you remember is Alan, not Jimmy. Alan came from leigh and played for Borough from 77-79, very creative little player witha great kicking game, and like Turley, Diabira et al, was a bugger for the drop goal.

Can't remember how many Turley kicked during the 78/9 season, but as a team it was 26, exactly one a game. The one mad scoresheet that sticks in my mind was the game at Keighley, 14-13 to Borough.

Keighley oustcored us 3 tries to 1, but we put over 5 drop goals and 3 goals to go with our one try; 4 of them came in the first half, giving us a 4-3 half time lead.

It was all part of Fearnley's model, don't come away from their 20 without a point; the days of repeats sets were a long way off, this was a different game in so many ways.

Borough Legend! Another Leigh lad who played in the 76/7 JPT run to the final. A stand off who ran like he was 40 and looked 50, but read the game like a chess grand master.

Little baldy chap with a 'tash played scrum half or stand off.

I remember playing against him in later years, Seagull.

Remember that team at ICI Thornton - he played for them along with Graham Pitman.

That's Ged Marsh not me if anyone is confused!