When they can manage to get into SL it's got to be Widnes for me.

To be fair I'm consumed by the hoodoo Saints have over us if there was only one team I could choose to beat now it would be them.

However, growing up in the eighties and early nineties all the Wire fans at school (I didn't get into rugby until my teens) hated Wigan. When I did start going "We Hate Wigan" was one of our most popular chants. It was chanted with passion and unaccompanied by any novelty pap over the PA unlike the pathetic "We All Hate Widnes" that has come about in the last few years.

Widnes were in the first division then (it was pre Super League) but they were never regarded the same way.

Not me mate, followed the wire throughout the 70's think i must be one of the oldest on this board , however it was always and will alway be Widnes i'm very proud to say, when we play our smellie friends it is one of the few times we see police on horse back unfortunatly and was really bad in the 70's i'm ashamed to say, yes i have been to Central Park including the Locker Cup as a lad and ended up thumbing a lift back to Warrington having missed the coach

But for me has always been and will always be our smellie friends from down the road. I think it is still the same in Widnes two from the little welcome signs we got before our semi last year.

Will be good to welcome them back into super league, for me their is no feeling like playing them at their place bring it on.

Ah the walk back to the train station. I remember the shortcut through Wade Deacon. I remember fighting my way through there only to get to the train station as the train was leaving. Five minutes later there were over 50 Widnes fans coming down the slope on the other side of the tracks with around 6 Warrington fans who have just missed the train. There was a bit of stand off as they weighed us up (probably making sure there was only 6 of us) before they started to make their way across the tracks. We had decided amongst us to stand and fight, probably take a beating but running wasn't an option and we were already tired from battling through the school. Luckily for us the police turned up before they managed to get to us and made sure we were safely on to the next train.

I think the hated of Wigan was more to do with the team than the fans, although there was always trouble against Wigan. The 89 semi final was like being at a football match from the same era. The hatred of Widnes was more because of the fans than the team. I think at the time we wouldn't run official coaches to Widnes as the windows would always go through. As much as I disliked their team they played good rugby and always wanted them to beat Wigan as they were seen as the amateur (even though they were virtually professional as well) underdog against the fully professional corrupt Wigan outfit.

i remember the walk from hilton park to the bus station being a rough one, arriving and finding i'd missed the 587 bus and the station was surounded by leigh pre chav hooligans bursting for a rumble, at age 11 it was bloody scary! i live in leigh now so it makes me chuckle, the 70's were rough a hell

Wigan
St Helens

Widnes

Widnes grew to be our biggest rivals in the 1970s when I was first watching the game. Being the only other Cheshire club, they probably merit the title. However, bank holiday tradition going even farther back was for Wire v Leigh and Wire v Wigan over Christmas and New Year, not to mention the Wardonia ( later Locker ) charity 'friendly' to open the season against the Pies. I guess we need both Widnes and Leigh back in SL if our 'derby' is not to be against Salford for all eternity.

Question for older fansWardonia [/iand [iGillette [/ihave in common?

Are you talking Wardonia razors?

Totally agree mate we want Widnes back in Super League, lets get our derby back

I remember the game at naughton park, i think in 1988 in the old premiership playoff. I was only around 10 years old and remember us being 4-2 up at half-time
and all the wire fans came over from the old shed end chanting 4-2, 4-2 etc. There were a few kick offs on the half way line between fans. Same game when all
the players had that massive battle and dessie punched a widnes fan for calling him something racist.

hopefully in 2012 we will be your main rival again, and probably a definet 4 points for you

My fingers will be crossed mate, will be good when your back

Spot on and thanks to pocket*trout for the vintage artwork.

Hhhm, interesting thread this!

As a chemic, and a young one at that as I missed all the halcyon days of King Kurt, Offiah Davies etc, and back to back title wins, it is Warrington. I think I speak for most Widnes supporters. If not all. Though you may find a few oddballs who claim it is Hull FC or Leeds etc.

A good majority of Wires fans I speak to have always maintained it is Wigan though. Even those who were there in the good old days of Wildernesspool. I think that maybe has something to do with the relatively close proximity and the fact that Wigan and Warrington, as towns are probably more equally matched and populated than Widnes and Warrington. I don't really see how Stains can be classed as Wires major rivals though, iMHO!

Anyway, roll on 2012 (hopefully) when I can have a WWF style handicap match vs wire 85 and Latchfordbob outside my old Maths room on the Wad forecourt.