Why bring this up you may wonder. Well I'm wondering if anyone remembers this game at Fartown in which referee Vince Moss reduce both sides to 10 men. It was a Division 2 clash which saw both sides chasing promotion at the time.

Moss red carded Les Bolton, Alan Hodkinson and Nicky Kiss for Wigan whilst Jimmy Johnson, Glen Knight and Steve Lyons were sent off for Hudds. They all got three match bans except Johnson.

Wigan took disciplinary action against the whole team for the events that day.
After an inquiry the RFL fined Wigan £500, Huddersfield £250 plus £1,000 suspended fine for each club.

I have a question - why was George Fairbairn sacked at the end of the season despite winning promotion? Was it to do with this game?

I also read the French Championship final that year got abandoned after 5 minutes and declared void because of brawling and a French referee Guy Gatteneo was accused of bias over his officiating of a GB v France test match.

I don't remember, it was before my time.... sounds like my sort of game though.

In Maurice Bamford's (who was Huddersfield coach at the time) book 'Memoirs of a Blood and Thunder Coach' he wrote it was 5 players sent off, O'Neill, Hodgkinson and Butler of Wigan, and Lyons and Johnson of Huddersfield, which is correct I cant remember ( maybe Rogue can ! ) but Bamford was destined to become our next coach replacing George Fairbairn who left to go to HKR for (then) a record fee of £75,000.

I think it may have been more a case of the club needing the money than George Fairbairn being sacked?

I was the game. There were fights all over the pitch. As 270 says Maurice Bamford was the Huddersfield coach that day and was recruited by Wigan for the following season.

Bamford didn't think it was a particularly dirty game, he actually called it "a game for the connoisseur."



Wigans board wanted to make sure that they stayed up as they got promoted and decided that Fairbairn was too inexperienced, so Maurice Bamford came in.

His £75,000 transfer fee was used to purchase players such as Steve Nicholson, Mick Scott, Jimmy Birts, Henderson Gill, and Colin etc.

Wigan finished 11th and just avoided relegation.
Enter Alex Murphy.

I found this in the 1981-1982 Rothmans book and it definetly says 6 players and that Fairbairn was "sacked despite winning promotion". Adds that "Wigan list Steve O'Neill as he protests at sacking of Fairbairn"

It also says Hudds launched legal action on Bamford for breach of contract when he left. Don't know if they went through with it though, Also says Wigan went in for Murphy at the end of 1980-81 but he signed a 3 year deal to stay at Leigh.

Different subject but does anyone remember the "Sunday Mirror Roadshow" -

George Fairbairn was only made coach the season before and I think this was to make sure he stayed with us.Unfortunately the board then decided he was too inexperienced when we gained promotion and decided to replace him with Bamford. This resulted in Fairbairn deciding he had to leave and it was one of the clubs worst decisions ever to let him go.
In my opinion the board at the time got it all wrong. They should have either not given him the job at all ( but they feared he would leave) or else they should have kept him on and given him a chance when they gained promotion. The way they handled it just pushed the problem on to the following season and in fact probably forced George to leave as he felt he was losing face.

I was at the game but was only a nipper so only have a vague recollection of it, including Fairbairn missing a kick just to the left of the posts near the end for the draw. It was televised but not sure which channel. I seem to remember the figure of £72,500 as his transfer fee but may be wrong - iirc it was a world record fee that stood for a while.

Other games I recall from that season were away at Keigh;ey where Gary stephens saved a draw by touching their winning drop goal in flight and playing at Rochdale where a little chubby player called Walsh (can't remember his first name) scored at the death from a ripped ball to win it. I went to a few grounds that year that we've never been to since.

That saved draw at Keighley probably sealed Wigan's promotion mathematically looking at the final table and it being the third last game.

David Walsh was the player.

Of them grounds their can't be too many left. Fulham's still there, albeit not for Rugby League. Batley are still at Mount Pleasant and Whitehaven at Rec Ground. I think thats it.

I've still got the programmes for most of these games in my dads garage! For some reason I cut the 'Fart' bit out of Fartown from the front of my Huddersfield programme. The home win against York was another crucial one, we were neck and neck with them all season.

I recall the Keighley game being a big one as the whole family including my grandma went over for it and there being much celebration at the end. Stephens was the saviour on more than one occasion that season, I think he was signed mid-season from Cas? either way he made a difference and probably was the key man in us going back up.

The game was on ITV - remote chance of anyone having access?

After checking I still have access to ITV, though I haven't watched it since 1981...

Right, I wasn't born when Jimmy Birts played for us and he keeps getting mentioned with some posters naming themselves after him.

Who was he, what was he like and why the 'cult' following?

I was there too. It definitely ended as 10-a-side. I have memories of the old Fartown ground being like a timber yard ready to go up in smoke.

Didn't realise Nicky Kiss was about in 1981!

Remember him from my first visit to Wembley as an 11 year old in '88, and I seem to remember him looking relatively youthful!

Henderson Gill was signed soon after as well?! Another from that Cup Final, along with the likes of Brian Case, Adrian Shelford, Shaun Edwards (who was surely a relative rookie then?!) Ged Byrne etc...(although did Ged actually make the '88 final 15?)

Ahh, memories!!

Yes, Ged Byrne and Shaun Wane were subs in 88.

Kiss made his debut in 1978!

I also think I was at this game, was one of the Huddersfield players a coloured guy? I recall someone like the late Roy Powell playing.

think it was on "R.L action" on itv,but only in yorkshire areas but on a clear night you could just pick it up with careful tuning was late on sundays,used to spend ages getting a picture then fall asleep as they kicked off!!!!!top game though

I think you are correct with RL Action, was at the game also, and it was sureal watching all the players being sent off.

It was before we had a video in our house so no footage available,

They dont have games like that anymore

In those days it was still shown on Granada, on monday nights. Alex Murphy's dressing room tirade after the Hull KR home game was another game shown in RL action's monday night slot a couple of years after the Huddersfield game. It was only a few years later that Granada binned it and Yorkshire TV took it over to show on sundays. This game was definitely televised and caused quite a stir at the time with fights literally breaking out all over the pitch at one point in the second half.

I had this on video and we played it on the team bus a while ago (late 80's early 90's) to one of the away games, The lads were in stitches laughing at Swazza (turned into a real tough nut) who was playing on the wing and caught a smack on the ear, he was stood rubbing it for about 10 mins after. They gave him some stick about it.

The game finished with 10 a side largely due to the wigan team targeting the Huddersfield loose Forward, tall lad called Tony Johnson (had a stormer!!!), they were trying to take his head off at every opportunity.

Never seen a game like it since and probably never will even at amatuer level, think Wigan tried to sign Jimmy Johnson a few weeks after.

Will have to get a copy of it cos it's a fantastic, action packed game, well worth another watch.

I was there. Happy days.

Go on a certain site and have a look at "Part 6. Fartown Vs Wigan (1981)"