I also was an Avenue fan, (Kevin Hector, Bert Gebbie) and all those old players. My dad took me to see "A real man's sport" and I will always remember Peter Goddard charging through the tackles...He was the biggest man I had ever seen..I was thrilled by the action and never looked back.. A Few weeks later I met another player who was even bigger...Albert Halsall who played for either Rochdale or Huyton? I forget which one, but after the match in the bar he bought me a Orange drink and then talked to my dad...Waaa he was my hero from then onward. Advancing on, I played a couple of matched for the U19's and in one of the matches someone from the Castleford side wanted to beat me to a pulp, but we had Frank Foster playing, coming back from injury....He had a quiet word and all was OK. My highlight was playing against Castleford (again) and scoring my one and only try....My mind went blank, I charged through them and fell over the try line....then got crushed in a bear hug by the young Francis Jarvis....Afterwards, I realized I never had it in me to even want to become full time, so got a good job, discovered what girl's can do to you, and so, been a fan ever since....

lol,Frank Foster.Northern had wanted to drop Frank for weeks,but no one dared tell him.
A hard man in any era.

"Rushing to the steps" bloody hummer, that brought back memories for me..one in particular. After the infamous battle between Northern and Wires I rushed up the steps to watch the officials and players ascend to the dressing rooms. It was all mayhem coming up and this stupid T*** in front of me took a swing at Dave Chisnall who was with the other wire prop(Pickles?) walking up. Chisnall turned around and looked straight at me !! then came towards me...that's when the code of not squealing disappeared from my itinerary.. I remember bleating "it wasn't me, it was him" but the t*** has gone...Luckily Brian Butler was behind them and told them to forget it....I really thought I had crapped myself...
About 15 years ago I met Brian again when he was the site Engineering foreman at Ammensford Open cast mine in Wales and we had a chuckle about it all. He looked just like Santa Claus with his big long white beard and .....Bottle Glasses... Ahhhh memories.....

Some great memories surfacing here - so you lads who can remember exchanging pleasantries with the ref after "rushing to the steps" -

Can you remember the opponents and the refs name when he was so bad they put him in a directors car (white Triumph 2000) ???

Which then got attacked by fans incensed at his performance.

I can remember Stuart Gallagher being clothes lined and unconscious for a while, to be sent off when they brought him round. The rest is a haze.

Another here born and bred in Leeds. From the Rodley area. Everyone i knew growing up was into football, there was little interest in RL. And then in 1994 a family friend took me to watch Bradford Northern Vs Workington. I had no idea what was going on, but i enjoyed it. Been going ever since.

Luckily my time at school was linked with the Bulls dominance over the Rhinos in early super league era so i didn't get as much stick as expected.

Strangely the family friend that took me to watch Bradford is now a big Leeds fan. I could never do that.

Born and bred in Bradford and that is why i love supporting both the Bulls and City

Isn't it strange that not one of us has a "I used to watch fax but when the bulls came to my school in Hipperholme I swapped" despite the fact that apparently we are "ALL" actually from halifax.

Turns out half of us are from bloody leeds!

Quite a few from Pudsey, where they have always been an independent minded lot anyway!

66.6% of active Bradford Bulls moderators are from Leeds. Surely a conspiracy.

I have a cousin who used to live in Leeds..and I've been through there from time to time....

Just saying ike

And, using words like "conspiracy" in posts only draws us ever closer to being put on the 'A' list by GCHQ

www.rugbyleagueheritageproject.c ... -52-th.jpg I remember it well! Anyone wanting to reminisce go to www.rugbyleagueheritageproject.co.uk

www.rugbyleagueheritageproject.c ... -52-th.jpg I remember it well! Anyone wanting to reminisce go to www.rugbyleagueheritageproject.co.uk

I was told that I was taken in the pram by my Mum and Dad and the pram was lifted through the door in the big gate opposite the Top House (or Fox and Hounds as it was- not sure if it had the 'Mary Shaws' nickname in 1949). I've been going ever since then apart from a short time in the late 60s and early seventies when I was away in the Sarf at college.
We used to play touch and pass either behind the posts or on the track on Northern's training nights. Does anyone remember Tony the Tiger. an Esso advert which appeared in the back window of supporters buses (before anyone in Cas had thought of being a Tiger) or the male and female cheerleaders who held up boards spelling out NORTHERN?
Supporters nights in the bar which is presently the club offices with parties of Aussie or Kiwi fans and the HAKA on the stage.
Still there and lucky enough to have been involved in various ways since the advent of the Bulls. It's been a toil of a pleasure at times but at the same time a privilege to be involved with so many good people along the way- ok (no pun intended) a few that I'd rather not have come across but some real good people.

Yep - I can share some of those memories - I used to be in the junior supporters club and we played touch and pass with the players of the time - Dave Stockwell always had bags of time for the kids... Of those male & females holding up boards to spell NORTHERN - well one of them is a steward at Bradford City to this day - although I haven't told him I recognise hime

Ditto the people that all the true and honest supporters really didn't want to come across - there has been some dark dark days over the decades..

Have to say that in my lifetime (and memories) - our current owner is the first to work so hard on building relations with the fan base - its been a long time coming!

Think it depends on what kind of PRISM you view all that through. Still, assuming they log on, the stats [and advertising revenues] should go up..