My first game was when the Maths teacher at a football mad school in Atherton handed out complimentary tickets for a Leigh v Wigan match in app 1952/53. The maths teacher was a Mr Fred Howker who happened to be a R/L linesman and he persuaded us to go . I saw Fred running the lines at Wigan a few times ,but he was to die at a tragically young age.
My recollections of that first game was seeing these great big blokes smashing into each other all the match (all right trundling) and one thing has always stuck in my memory . It was the sight of this mountain of a man walking past us when he left the field at halftime, he was plastered in mud from head to toe with what seemed to be a bucket on his head. It was the great Ken Gee.
That was the start, football was forgotten and the week after I went with a mate from next door and his dad to watch Wigan. I could not begin to count the amount of matches I have attended over the years, albeit I have not attended many matches since they left C/P ( I think I have attended more matches away than home matches since C/P)
But I am still an avid supporter ,maybe not in the flesh but always keeping up to date with what is going on.

My first game was as a 4 year old boy in 1959 ( I know, people who know me cant believe I'm so old due to my boyish good looks, but its true ), when I was taken to Central Park by my dad, not to watch Wigan, but in his words "I'm taking you to see Billy Boston play" ( and I've thanked him everyday since ). Probably impossible to add up how many games I've seen since that day, must be in the thousands, but you know what, I'm as excited today looking forward to Friday and the new season as I was that day in '59, its in the blood and I pray it always will be.

Aye the boys pen !

What a ferocious place that was .

I used to go in there then climb over to be with my Dad.