cant believe it is so long since those dark days. then maurice took us out of the doldrums and onto a bit of glory.

I don't know what the actual gate was...Collector will have the details.

But I estimate it to have been big as everyone who claims to be a diehard Fax fan always tells me "I was at that Cawoods game you know". It's like a badge of loyalty.

It's also a sad thing but a lot of younger fans (like my lads) don't know what Maurice Bamford actually achieved at Halifax.

They only know stories about the later debacle at Greetland.

.



I had just started watching Halifax when we played Caywoods and although we lost and i remember my Dad being in a shocking mood about it i cant remember much else about that day.

I can however remember the Maurice Bamford era . Maurice went out and recruited some great grafters and some skillful players to really get fax on a roll. Players i remember from that era are.

Birts
Waites
o'byrne
Blacker
Langton
Loxton
Garforth
Scotty
Maskill
Chumondeley (SP?)
Whitehouse
Busfield
Maurice Bamford in my opinion started us on the road to the good times we had in the Mid 80s and will always be a Fax legend.

Think Cawoods are now West Hull. Cov told me there were about 700 there. Probably 7000 if you believe all the liars that said they were there. I for one wasnt and im glad about it

I wasnt there

It was bloody awful and total gloom set upon the town and for several weeks a 24 hour watch was kept on North Bridge to stop people throwing themselves off. People stopped telling folk that they came from Halifax they said Sowerby Bridge or Elland so nobody would know.
Normally mild mannered men beat their wives. I started drinking and ha`vnt stopped since. Twas a bad bad day and yes as that Welsh git used to say "I was there". I fell out with watching but only for a few weeks but I came back and Mad Maurice and his men gave me many more ups and downs and even more excuses to drink even more, mind you I was`nt married then but my mum gave me hell at my moods.
Mind you Cawoods were the top amateur team that year and won the National Cup.
No doubt a something to talk about next time I see you Piston but will probably forget what with the ale addled state of my memory.
Oh happy days.
PS Swifty why have you brought it up? Could set me off again, infact off to the pub right now. Is 33 years significant. I know it coincides with that unsolved murder

I was npt around at the time of this awfull game as I was not born until 1982 but I have heard all the storys about it.

I was there - 13 years old. Luckily, my 13 year old son had a better year this season. He's still waiting for his "87" though.

I didn't support Fax back then, but I suppose my 'Cawoods' would have to have been losing to Keighley in the Challenge Cup at Thrum Hall. I was stood at the Pavilion corner when Steve Simms had to run the gauntlet to get to the sheds. Not pretty.

Guess this would have to be mine too. I remember that game

My Dad would not take me and my brother for fear of losing and he was right!
Maurice Bamford gave our club its pride back and we will be eternally grateful to him.

I agree, Bamford definiteley turned the club around, I think he went on to coach Wigan and Leeds, did he? Other players to add to your list in that era, Pepsi, are

Peter Jarvis
Derek Howard
Graham Garrod
George Standidge
Dave Callon
Alan Ackroyd
Dean Raistrick

... hey, I probably even dig out me old programmes for more names!

Things I remember about the above ...

Always had a chuckle when listening to away ground announcers trying to announce Dave Cholmondley's name
Ken Loxton was an international!
Alan Maskill got killed in an accident

I was also at The Huyton game, remember a local scally offering one of our party his services to "look after your car mister" at which point my friend produced his warrant card which sort of ended the conversation. From (unreliable) I believe the Huyton game finished 7-4 in our favour