Quote: BurnleyDave "
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Good stuff mate.
I first went in the '60s as a young lad with my Dad (sadly no longer with us to see the last game) but I've no idea which game. I vaguely remember seeing Voll but my earliest memories are of the team from the late '60s/early '70s. Johnny Walsh was always my favourite player and Geoff Pimblett seemed flawless at full back. A bit later the mighty Kel was my fave - it was an homour to meet him at a books signing at KR a few years ago when I introduced my elder lad to him, describing Kel as "the greatest signing Saints ever made'". My brother took more interest in retrieving matchboxes from the Edington Stand than in the games at that time but there was plenty of room for him to do so!
I saw some dross through the '70s and '80s, enlivened by occasional flashes of brilliance and the even rarer decent win against Wigan. Eric 'Dark Days' Hughes depressed me in the early '90s but then came the finest Saints teams of my life. The initial SL season saw some great matches at KR. Huntey, Sully, Bobbie, a young KC and the unforgiveably uncapped maestro Tommy. Worrying if we were going to beat Wire in the last game of the season to win SL - how could I worry; it was Wire! We ended up drubbing them 66-14 and it was the beginning of a new era.
Some great matches since then. Wide to West obviously, the 19-0 victory against the old enemy with Tommy's amazing pass to Shiels (not Scully, as Waldorf and Statler thought) and KC's brilliant chase back to tackle Mark Smith when said elder son was the mascot, 75-0 (nuff said) and even KC's last gasp try against Cas to get us second place this season (how important might that prove?).
I'll miss the old place despite it's many faults. It might be a ramshackle dump but it's our ramshackle dump and it's heavy with history and memories, good and bad. I'm sure I'll shed a tear on Friday, but hopefully after one final victory.
Cheers Dad, and thanks for passing on your fanaticism for our hometown club.