Does anybody remember this match? I've looked all over the web to try and gain information about the semi-final but its as if it never happened, I'm really surprised that there is no mention of the match on "en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keighley_Cougars" or the Cougars own web page for that matter (which is a rather shameful web site for its lack of historical content).

I am particularly interested in the team sheet for the semi final. Who were the props, I seem to remember John Burke playing but I'm not too sure now since my research says that he was playing for South Sydney Rabbitohs and Castleford in 1976. Wiki says that he only played in the 1974 season for Keighley, is this correct? I thought he spent a few seasons with Keighley before going Down Under.

1 Jefferson
2 Jickells
3Pieniacek
4 Leek
5 Parker
6 Smith
7 Nicholson
8 Burke
9 Woolford
10 Garforth
11 Gallacher
12 Garbutt
13 Birdsall
14 Sutcliffe
15 Wood
Ref Alec Givvons

My husband played at scrum half John Burke was at Keighley for about two seasons

Our John Burke didn't get sent off. Another John Burke won the Grand National the same day on Rag Trade.
Peter Roe had been sold to Bradford a few months earlier.
Game plan had been to defend & keep Saints out and for Brian Jefferson to kick us to Wembley. Nearly worked - Saints scored a try & conversion. Jefferson kicked three goals - but two were drop goals - the first season I think when the value had been reduced from 2 points to 1. We lost lost 5-4!
Played at the old Fartown ground, Huddersfield.

Too late to arrange to get this old team on the pitch before kick-off at the Warrington game??

'Lawkholme Len' is the man to ask on this one , he has all the contacts from the Past Players Assoc.

From memory I can remember that 'God' Jefferson , Dave Jickells and Billy Woolford were at the last reunion and I'm sure there were a few more there that I cant remember off the top of my head ....

Hi Hazel,

Thank you for team details. I did a further on-line search and came across an eBay sale for the match day programme + a DVD of the match "www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320860152161&_trksid=p2992.m753", unfortunately the auction has already expired. Would have been a good find for the all included price of £1.50

Once again thanks!

I do remember John getting sent off a quite lot while playing for Keighley, once at Batley immediately after the kick off. It was bad enough getting one prop sent off but I remember we had another prop, Frank Cotton (??) and there were occasions where we would loose both John and Frank at the same time.



The plan almost worked, I think we were immensely unlucky that day, we certainly gave St Helens a scare considering the hiding that they had given us a few week previously.

We beat St Helens at Lawkholme 10 days later!!

Our giant prop way back was Dave Cotton (big brother of ex Eng RU captain Fran Cotton)

A little bit of a consolation I suppose, I remember that we did win and it was a much bigger score than at Fartown perhaps 22

Yes, it was Dave and I knew he was the brother of Fran Cotton, my bad don't know why I wrote Frank.

We'd have won if some idiot hadn't blown a whistle on the stroke of half-time and Burke (as well as every other Keighley player) didn't tackle the St Helens player with the ball - this was before the days of the Rule that stated that you played until the ball was dead! Then Jefferson, with his leg heavily bandaged, missed an easily kickable penalty, which would have won the game for us!

Why isn't there any record of this game on the Cougars website?

I'd like to see any of the team of '76 attend, It would be brilliant if they could and HAZEL could sort the lads from Kippax without any problem. BJ lives locally and Dave Jickells attends every home game; is Keith Dixon still living locally? Is George Pieniacek local (what about his goal when we beat Northern 2-0 on a frozen Sodal pitch? Charlie Birdsall - what about his try to beat Widnes (?) or was it Leigh (with Alex Murphy giving the 'two-fingered salute' to the Scrattin' Shed), when the ball bounced off the post and he followed-up to score between the posts! If the former Supporters Club Committee were asked, then I'm certain that they'd help, so what's the problem?

Quote: 666 "Why isn't there any record of this game on the Cougars website?'" As I said in my opening post "its as if it never happened", there's not even a mention of it in the en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keighley_Cougars site, I don't know who wrote it but it could do with updating. I always thought the 1976 semi final was a major achievement for Keighley, if we had overpowered St Helens and we did come very very close, who's to say that we wouldn't have won the cup, Widnes didn't play at all well in that final........... it's nice to dream!

Quote: 666 "Why isn't there any record of this game on the Cougars website?'" As I said in my opening post "its as if it never happened", there's not even a mention of it in the en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keighley_Cougars site, I don't know who wrote it but it could do with updating. I always thought the 1976 semi final was a major achievement for Keighley, if we had overpowered St Helens and we did come very very close, who's to say that we wouldn't have won the cup, Widnes didn't play at all well in that final........... it's nice to dream!

PM sent to KRLFC / Hazel

There were two other near misses that I know of in addition to that semi, which was by far the biggest.When we were in the old second division, maybe 1964, we went to Hull KR, who were a top 1st division team, and lost 6 to 5 and we scored the only try. There was also a Yorkshire cup semi final against Trinity who were right at the top of the game Neil Fox, Derek Turner etc. We gave up home advantage and played the game at Odsal and lost 5 to 4. Neil Fox scored the Trinity try when he played the ball forward to himself and dived over for the games only try. That is against the rules in the present era. Keighley is a small club with a chequered history but we have had our moments.