...... part 2!

The Shed being rammed against Leeds/Hull in the 90's and the hostile yet brilliant atmosphere.

Korky's 'kick'

Spanking a really good Widnes team of the early 90's and the atmosphere on a bitterly cold night.

The team try against Saints (07?), try against Hull from kickoff, Youngy running one in from near halfway (or am I dreaming that one? )

I love everything about The Willows and I still get the same buzz walking through the turnstiles as I did as a 12 year old all them years ago. The only thing missing from those memories is success on the pitch. I guess having so many lows over the years makes the sporadic highs seem that much sweeter.

Aye Youngy was magic, will no doubt be discussing him with my uncle tonight (a Welshie & about as anti RL as you'll come across!). No doubt he'll say he was never the same player once he crossed over to the 'dark side'!

Remember Youngy going to Leeds firtst and looking about as fit as Feka does now, moves to Salford and bingo shows his true worth.

Let's hope your uncle is happy when Wales beat England at Twickers this afternoon (from good Welsh stock myself).

The shed in the late 80's and 90's when I first started going,
The viking song,
Seeing a distraught heather small almost in tears looking for her Shaun after the Wigan cup game,
Taking my wire fan mates in to the shed, they still talk about it the characters, atmosphere and songs now,
The stand up sit down song at the wire game,
Not sure if ive dreamed these next 2!?
Bobby Goulding kicking the ball through the club window when practicing his kicking pre game, when he was playing for saints,
Gibbo getting turned in the tackle, thought there were no markers so played the ball to himself, before running towards his own line,
Running on the pitch after every game, getting back to the car covered in mud,
Sitting on the hoardings by the pitch next to the dug outs,
More recently taking my son to his first game at 3 weeks old, so far 2 games 2 defeats! Hope he has better luck at the new ground!

memorys of my 25 year plus association with the ground i love

being a junior devil
my 1st rugby shirt, hat and scarf
going to the ticket office and getting my free junior devils ticket each home game
dad parking in car park over the road so i could wait and see players arrive
going in the dressing room aged 9 on my birthday meeting kevin ashcroft and his lads and having photographs taken with the worlds best fullback mr garry jack
dad joining the lifeline bar so i could get autographs of all the players after the game in my red book
me doing scrap books of anything to do with the reds from all papers and also other rl clubs as well
watching salford win a trophy at home when the league was presented to us in early 90s
seeing paul shaw the aboriginal superstar play for my team and nearlt win us the lancs cup

doing my rugby league coaching certificate at the willows with batley bob marsden and other players

getting my programme from doris infront of the willows every game hope she will be watching from above vs catalan

going into the shed and the smell of the wintergreen and dad saying never forget that smell from when i played

choosing man of the match vs oldham bears in super league as a guest of the sponsors and watching my dad present it to cliff eccles

doing a survey for my university dissertation at an a team game and going into the press box to speak to coaches players and officials about super league

beating wigan in the cup and also betting on us as massive outsiders for the game

cougar crawling vs keighley

lance todd trophy doo in the willows when henry paul got his award in late 90s surrounded by greats of the game

john wilkinson making time to talk to my dad as he was involved in supporters association

tetleys bitter sponsored doos before the grand final , on several occasions always wearing salford colours

sponsorship packages from brewery meeting the players and ex players gibbo, birkett shane hansen and many more, listening to the drivel simms comes out with, getting a fully autographed shirt framed for my dad 60 birthday which sits proudly on a wall at his home

being gutted when games were called off

the whole peter kay thing , sunday was going to the game home for sunday roast love boat had just finished bullseye was starting having your tea on a tray , biscuits and a brew and the antiques roadshow / songs of praise, sunday is a rugby day for me

coming back to the willows on a fleet of coaches from headingley where all my dreams were shattered as we lost in cc semi final to sheff eagles, going to the tavern and getting on the willows pitch showing my mates the art of drop kicking and nearly putting the willows windows in

getting to become a ballboy at a game but not getting picked as numbers were too high

meeting lads who played for salford who i played rugby against as a kid, ian watson, carlo, nathan mcavoy, me and ian you to knock lumps out of each other in schools rugby

going to a salford school to do coaching and the players were training, didnt do much coaching as my own team were on the next field, the lads who i paid to watch at the willows were right next to me

meeting the aussie tourists at school and proudly telling them i was a salford season ticket holder and they should all sign for my club and play at the willows

screaming and shouting in the shed at opposition players, and giving encouragement to the salford lads

going to the games with my dad, brillo , duncan in the old days, mum becoming a cas tigers fan and standing with the away fans and text abuse being hurled

going to eccles and having a few pints before games then not remembering half the game

celebrating wins by a few more pints inmanchester on a friday night me and dad putting the world to rights

being relegated
being promoted

the recent fans day , sitting on the salford bench and having a pint looking out onto my field of dreams and having my photo taken as the only man in the shed

a team games watching the stars of the future with another 150 hardy soles on a friday night
the bloke who jumped out of the plane and landed in thenorth stand

there are so many more, all the minutes silences for the reds who are no longer with us

love the willows and had so many good times there nearly all spent with my dad
thanks for the memorys dad , we will still follow to barton unsure if it will be the same
but
BORN RED LIVE RED DIE RED FOREVER A SALFORD RED

Having compiled my list, its surprising how many of my great moments are off the pitch which is what makes our club special, here goes with great sentiment

Sat in the directors stand watching A team game’s in the late 80’s early 90’s in the company of Sir John, Neil Midgely (so funny) and Charlie Wynne (no dummies Solly)

Andy Gregory playing as a 16-17 year old ‘A N Other’ when Murphy was coach (what a pity we didn’t sign him then)

Willows Variety centre after the Halifax game at Old Trafford, Ian Sherrat leading Nessum Dorma, Kevin Tamati singing Dixie land acapello………(goose bumps as we speak)…………Being on the floor near Bleasey when Sit down by James was on, my wife got Frank Cassidy’s tie (its still under her pillow) and Frank got a rollicking

Telling people that I knew Keith Fielding when superstars was on (who needs Brian Jacks and David Emery’ shoulder blades

The friendship shown to me by Len Scott the kitman who took me under his wing and allowed me to a ball boy………remember him smoking cigars and driving the Mellors mini bus to the training ground at Shawe View in Urmston (former City training ground) and now used by Trafford FC

Watching us beat Wigan in the CC from the front row of the north stand

Buffer mimicking the ref putting his hand to his mouth and pointing for a try at the Willows end

Richard Websters tackle (cough cough) on Jason Critchley

Steve Rule’s goal kicking (left footer)

Tex’s dummy that he was going to chip the ball over the top

Stevie Nash’s back pass which Mike Coulman ran on to

Beating Wigan in the Snow

The Old scoreboard

The Friendships that Forever Reds has born

My wife being named as the official 24th squad member as Forever Reds was getting off the ground

Ian Watsons drop goal against Sheffield

Rubber man Phil Ford and some of the tries that only he could score

The try against Hull from the kick off

Straight talking from Karl Harrison at Forever Reds meetings – always had time to speak to fans

Thriller on stage at the Willows with Alan Hunte & Clifford Beverley

Peter Kay and Sally Lindsay appearing as Coffee and Cream at the FR do

Wilky acknowledgeing the shed after each game

More to come no doubt !!!!!!

Being in the Changing rooms for the best part of 16 years as mother cleaned the rooms and washed the kits.
Watching virtually every training session whilst Ashcroft, Tamati & Jack were in charge.
Playing on the cinder track that used to be on the main stand side, with mates, (including PJB & Lee Groves)
Having, as The Black Cat said the Willows as a playground for my whole childhood
My 6 years as a ball boy
Watching Neil Baker.
Lancs Cup Semi v Leigh (Just short of 7k turned up on a cold Wednesday evening, tell me the Lancs cup meant nothing)
St Helens in the Challenge Cup Quarter final of the Challenge Cup in when nobody gave us a chance.
Wigan in the Cup (obviously)
Being at the ground when both the first Esab and Cebora shirts were delivered
As Ian said the Lancs Cup A team final v Saints
Playing in two finals for Eccles there
Meeting what I would now consider 90% of my closest friends at the Willows over the past 30 odd years.
The Shed and it's atmosphere (can we please have it back)

The Variety Centre after both the the Halifax Premiership Final win and the Wigan Challenge Cup victory.
Being asked to present the Supporters player of the year in 2007 and making a speech (only to later realise they had already typed one out for me…mine was still better!)
The Variety Centre when all the males in our family were together moaning about us in the early 80's.
Meeting my now fiancé at the Willows in 2001 when we played Wigan in that 31-30 win
Seeing my late dads smile when we won!

That’s enough for this instalment I'll be back, when more come back to me.

The banter Fielding got when he won Superstars

The disabled cars : always there no matter the weather.

The 0 0 draw: the weather and the gluttinous pitch but both sides made the most of it.

Coulman hunting down centres.

Bob Marsden playing prop (my first ever rugby team had him in at 6!)

A relative's face when I was idly chatting to a group: when I told them they were relatives of two of our players - he was judging our game on the prima donnas of football.

The constant yo-yo with Oldham in the 80's (methinks)

The 70's - a Friday night at Salford, a Saturday afternoon at United, and a Sunday at Lancashire: strange to think that the Saturday was the only one where a defeat was expected .

Enjoyed reading those posts, loved the 'passion' for your club running through them, when we left Central Park it was an awful feeling and I still miss the place to this day, but things move on, and we are trying to create new memories in this stadium, it will take time.............good luck with your 'move' and best wishes for the new ground.

Just reading through this again, cant beleive sunday has come round so quick!! Shame there hasnt been too many great memories from this season, maybe there will be a few more come sunday!

THAT cup game... I went with my coach from Salford Juniors and remember him jokingly saying that the ambulance parked just inside the ground, just south of the Shed, was for Tuigamala after 2 minutes of the game and that we'd go on to win. Of course, he was half right!

After, in a bit of a state through adrenaline over indulgence, I left the ground with my team mate from Salford Juniors. We crossed Willows Rd towards the shop at the corner of Weaste Lane to find a huge poster of Wigan. It read "Wigan, Champions 8 Years Running" and had the present Wigan team photograph set in the background. Well, with much joy and jubilation we proceeded to grossly tear it into a thousand pieces in front of the hoardes of Wigan fans passing us by, looking shell-shocked and confused.
My mate left me at this point, leaving me to wait for my mum to come and pick me up. Despite being in poor health due a plethora of respiratory problems, my mum skipped and ran almost the whole journey from the Height, through Buile Hill park and down Weaste Lane.
She gave me the biggest hug, the memory of which gets me choked up as I write.... About to set off home, I realised that I'd lost my programme. Being particularly poor at the best of times in those days, my mum didn't have enough money to get me another. But, undeterred, she took me in the club shop. It had an electric atmosphere, full of activity with people dashing around. She explained that I'd lost my programme and that she couldn't afford another. The lady duly obliged in replacing my programme. That programme sits on my sizeable bookshelf to this day.

Singing in the shed and the great atmosphere and banter with away fans !
Listening to the Brother In Law shout his favourite quote in the shed "RIP HIS SPLEEN OUT !"
The KH years when we were a force and turning up at the Willows with hope !
Sunday Rugby and arriving at the the Willows vault bang on opening time for prematch drink, discussion and laughter !
Reading the Scarlet Turkey and having a laugh at it's content post match.
Apart from the KH years, in a wierd way I liked the relegation dog fights at the Willows as well !
But most memorably for me, playing at the Willows for the A team and also for the Manchester & District team and scoring a few tries at this very special place !

I find it difficult to remember specific games except for the odd outstanding victory like the Wigan Cup win.

I first went to the Willows during 1949 - 1950 season. I have no idea who Salford were playing as I was three at the time. My mother was pregnant with my younger brother and my dad, having worked Saturday morning because he was in the Building trade, took me to the Willows so my mum could have a rest. That was when my addiction started. I'm sure I used to just play on the empty terraces then, bur Salford RLFC got to me.

I remember players who were my heroes like Wally MacArthur, Arthur Gregory, John Cheshire, Dai Davies and Albert Baines.

There was a sense of excitement as players like Billy Banks and the great Jackie Brennan joined the club and then along came Brian Sparks as the team began to improve, with the start of the Snape years. I remember during the Snape years drawing 5 -5 with Saints at the Willows and beating them 8 - 3 (I think) at Knowsley Road when Les Bettinson had a magnificent game. We went to Wigan in the next round and won comfortably despite having Frank Collier sent off. We all thought it was our year for the cup - until we lost 7 -5 at Dewsbury in the Quarter Finals. That memory is as painful as losing to Castleford at Wembley, and to Sheffield at Headingley.

As the Snape years progressed we became fashionable and successful. We saw some great players in the red shirt. We were privileged to be able to see Charlton, Fielding, Watkins, Hesketh, Richards, the great Ken Gill, Nash, Banner, Coulman, Dixon, Smethurst, and Prescott at the club. Other superb players like Butler, Colloby, Rule and Williams almost had supporting roles.

Yet the crowd was always critical. After one typical Friday night match which we'd won with a splendid display of attacking rugby, as the tightly packed crowd was making its way out onto Weaste Lane the guy in front of me said, 'Watkins had a poor game tonight.' Somewhat surprised, I said, 'Come on! He kicked nine goals, scored three tries and laid on three more!' 'Aye, but what else did he do?' came the response which caused all around to laugh at him.

Those were great years and we did not appreciate them as much as we should have done as since then we haven't enjoyed the same quality of rugby, except for the odd occasion. We've seen some talent though in Neil Baker, Paul Shaw, Garry Jack and Michael Hancock. It's a shame that young talent has left us as we do need to build for the future.

This addiction still rules my life. I've passed it on to my son and my grand daughter shows signs of the same disease.

At times I've been miserable in lots of places like Bradford, Perpignan, Wigan and Saint Helens, but there have been times when I've loved those same places - though not as often as I would have liked.

In sixty odd years I haven't missed more than ten matches at the Willows and think I will find tomorrow a strange day. I still can't believe that it's my last ever match there for some reason. Someone must be having us on!!

But it is and I've got my season ticket for Barton. I've been very impressed by Matt Parish and I really hope it will be onwards and upwards.

I really hope there will be a great atmosphere there tomorrow. Over the years I've stood in various specs at the ground but I'll be in the Shed tomorrow where I've been for a good few years. I can't wait.

Come on you Reds!

Beating Wigan with a Holroyd (?) drop goal, 31-30

When that Toulouse player wasn't too happy with the Shed's reaction to his sinbinning.