Stop your crying
(or the ghost of eddie)
I was reading my paper, I was scanning the news, I was reading the sports page
I was getting confused it said that the jjb was charging to park they said it was two pound if you went in your car.
I decided right then that I wouldn’t go again, I was miffed that dave Whelan was at it again.
Later that night when I went up to sleep I was woke up I think, by a sound in the room, I looked over the blanket and into the gloom, there was a bloke he was stood there at the foot of my bed he was grinning and laughing and had a cap on his head.
He said, stop your cryin don’t be so tight it’s only two quid it’ll be alright don’t fret over parking we can work it all out.
I thought who is this who comes to my room in the middle of the night telling me that I am tight.
I looked at him and I thought I’d seen him before perhaps on telly but I knew him for sure.

He said, stop your crying don’t be so tight it’s only two quid it’ll be alright don’t fret over parking :
I stopped him right there I needed to know what this bloke wanted me for, he put his hand out and said follow me, I thought who is this bloke is this a joke, was I asleep, or had I awoke.

Next thing I knew I had been sat in the dark and now I was hovering above central park there was a match taking place there was people all cheering and shouting like mad, he said look down there and say what you see and I looked in the kop end there was a bloke it was me.
Stop you’re your crying don’t be so tight pay your two quid don’t cry over parking it will be alright

But then I looked at the game that was going on, there where players down there that are now all gone, most of them heroes and bad un’s none.
I looked back at the bloke and was suddenly sad, that bloke wasn’t me that bloke was my dad.
I looked at the kid that was stood by his side he was jumping and waving his eyes really wide, he couldn’t see much but I don’t think he cared.
And then in one move my dad he bent down and lifted that kid, it was me, from the ground .

Stop your crying don’t be so sad don’t think of two quid think of your dad.
And I thought of the times I’d come to this ground, for years with me dad and not paid a pound I remembered the turnstile how he lifted me over he did it for years till I was eight or over.
I looked at the bloke that had brought me back here he said shall we go he said are you ready
I remembered his name, i'm sure it was Eddie.
I suddenly awoke had I been asleep? I thought about everything about me and my dad about the games that i'd seen, and I thought about turnstiles and getting in free about heroes and players I’d seen through my life.
I thought about the JJB and two quid to park and I decided I’d still go I decided to walk.
Stop your crying don’t be so tight just pay the two quid it’ll be alright.

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Thanks to the streets.

I found a random website ages ago, with random pictures around the ground www.geocities.com/wigan_rlfc/centralpark.htm Not got a clue who's it is and it was last updated 7 years ago

I found a random website ages ago, with random pictures around the ground www.geocities.com/wigan_rlfc/centralpark.htm Not got a clue who's it is and it was last updated 7 years ago

Correct. Like anything you're fond of, it gets better as time goes on.

CP's terracing was flat, so shorts like me couldn't see. Even if I was tall, there would be several big red pillars in the way. Could anyone make out what the bloke on the tannoy was saying, and how long did it take to queue up and get in?

I'm recounting all those faults with a smile on my face, and I loved the place, but it still got old, it still got past it, and it was still time to move on.

I loved cAntral Park me

He refereed in the then-NFP for a couple of years after that. Good old Noddy, second only to Colin Morris in the "what a tool" competition.


Now you mention it, it they used to do exactly the same thing at Leigh at the back of the Chaddy End.

Used to have a season ticket in the Whitbread Stand as a kid and there were two fellas who must have also had season tickets. They were the most vocal two in there. One was skinny and I'm sure he had a tattoo on his arm saying 'Wigan' over a Lancashire rose. The Other had a blonde perm, a tache, a gold ear ring and was often sporting a blue Ellgren jacket.
When Central Park was sold to Tesco and then TESCO rubbed it in by sponsoring our collars these two must have picked out the stitches because when my 1998 shirt had TESCO on the back of the collar, theirs said 'Save Central Park' on.

Spot on.

I have great memories of CP. When I get a suitable scanner I will post a link to photos I took on at the last game there once I have them digitised.

I would have loved to have seen CP upgraded but really even if it had been it could not match modern stadia.

But just think, had DW succeeded in buying it when Jack Robinson sold it to Tesco where would be now? Well my guess is DW would be donating CP to Latics as he has done the JJB!

Could anyone live with that!?

Dave

Watching Wigan v Halifax, going to the toilet at half time, coming out after about one minute and finding that it was foggy and the match was abandoned. Couldn't believe it. It was about 1964.

Went to CP loads of times,and even as a Leeds supporter it was by far the most exiting ground in the RL(apart from Headingley of course)
My endearing memory would have to be the WCC against Manly in '87.
36K in that night if memory serves.Electric atmosphere and a titanic game!

If DW had bought Central Park, we would still be at the JJB / DW stadium at Robin Park.

The only difference would be that Whelan would have sold Central Park to Tesco and pocketed the extra £6million for himself.

Don't forget Whelan offered £6million for Central Park, Robinson sold it for £12milion.

And whilst we're on the point I see Whelans puppet Mr. Ernie Benbow has come crawling out of the woodwork after going into hiding for some time.

Spot on - wouldn't have been able to develp CP owing to the mine/water workings