Wigan v Hull over the last 50 years

Dont read this unless you have ten minutes to spare but in case anyone missed it in the Diary, here are just my own personal recollections of the best win I ever saw at Wigan

.....so we go back to that first great season under Brian Smith and to 12th January 1989. It’s a trip over the Pennines in cold windy weather to Central Park Wigan, for a game with the Cherry and Whites, who were riding high in the league that year. I went with the East Yorkshire coach from the club for this game, and for most of the way we were all debating exactly how we would keep the score down, because although we had done well under Smithy since we lost our first four league games, we still knew that trips to Lancashire rarely reaped rewards. We parked in that car park next to the river Douglas which flowed right behind the ground, and made our way to the covered end known as the Spion Kop to the locals.

Central Park was a grand sight back in those days, a ground smack in the middle of Wigan, with massive terracing on three sides and a low seated stand that was painted in red and white stripes down the other. Under the floodlights it was a shining example of a traditional ground and a real cauldron of intimidation and passion. Although there were only around 12,000 braving the elements that night, it was a great atmosphere and the roar that greeted the Wigan team as they ran out led by Andy Gregory, struck fear into the hearts of the 1500 or so FC fans that had made the trip that night. We had every right to be fearful too, because Wigan were on a run of 6 straight wins, the last of which had been a victory in the John Player Trophy final the week before. Their team read like a ‘who’s who’ of Rugby League and although we had actually won our last five games, it was still a daunting prospect as we watched as Andy Gregory rolled his sleeves up to his shoulders, took a divot out with his heal, and placed the ball on the centre spot to kick off.

The first half turned out to be a tight affair, with both defences in great form. Wigan looked the stronger, so it was ironic when we took the lead with Garry Pearce landing a great penalty goal after Iro had upended Moon 30 yards out. To return the compliment, Wilby then tripped Bell as he ran through a gap in our defence, and Gregory tied the scores up with another penalty. Then a sweeping move down the left hand side saw Ellery Hanley dance between Price and O’Hara to a set the host’s winger Preston flying down the touchline. When Hanley broke through he was a wonderful sight to see, providing that is, you weren’t playing against him. As our full back came across Preston passed back inside and there was Bell to scoop up the ball and fly in 10 yards from the corner flag. Gregory missed the goal but at 6-2 we feared the worst.

Then almost straight from the restart, Moon, who was our centre that night, suddenly broke away, outstripped the defence and touched down near the corner flag, too wide out though for Pearce who failed with the conversion. Back came Wigan through a Preston try two minutes later, when he seemed to juggle with the ball for ages before touching down, and with a Pearce penalty for a trip by Betts on Wilby just before half time, we went in just two points down.

I remember to this day how at half time I was thinking that in that last ten minutes of the first half we looked to have shrugged off the traditional inferiority complex so many clubs suffered from at Wigan, and were starting to believe that we were in with a chance. If the first half had been tense and nervy, then the second was a revelation, and will be remembered forever by anyone who was there that night. Scrum half Craig Colman, Smithy’s first major import signing and the general behind our pack, started the second period in fine style as he proceeded to give GB number 7, Andy Gregory, a right pasting. The game however took a truly dramatic turn after Pearce had kicked a superb angled penalty from the 40 yard line to level the scores. ’Porkey’ then took the ball on the third tackle and without a player near him, struck a massive drop goal from way out, to edge us ahead. However what followed that can only in truth, be described as 20 minutes of some of the most remarkable rugby I have ever seen.

On 53 minutes Wigan’s Shelford dropped the ball and from the ensuing scrum Pearce broke magnificently, stepping first to the right then to the left, leaving Hanley and Edwards for dead. Colman shot through behind him, took his inside pass and floated a fantastic looping ball to Divorty out on the right. As the defence funneled back and caught him, he stood tall in the tackle and popped a perfect pass out to Colman to score under the posts. Pearce converted and it was 10-17.

The home side were visibly rocked, and dropped the ball almost straight after the kick off, and worse was to follow, as Pearce shot through the line and this time using a fantastic dummy which left the cover grasping thin air, passed onto Colman again. Craig handed on to Price who went in untouched to score again. A Pearce conversion saw us 23-10 in the lead and running away with it, and whilst a hush spread through the ranks of the Cherry and White supporters we were dancing on the terraces to the chants of ‘Brian Smiths Black and White Army’.

In the next five minutes the referee, Mr. Tennant, had to speak to Goodway, Betts and Hampson, as the Wigan tackling got higher and higher, but we just pressed further down on the gas and started to blow them away. Next it was Colman again, this time drawing Byrne and Shelford before slipping out a peach of a one handed pass to Divorty, who hung the ball in the air long enough for Fletcher to come charging through to score his first try of the season. A Pearce goal meant that after just 61 minutes we were 10-29 up and scoring at a point a minute. We were coasting. Coasting though was a problem, because we missed several tackles and Hanley who was always a danger, strode in to restore some of the home sides pride. The locals sniffed a comeback.

However any hope they had was short lived because nine minutes later once again it was Craig Colman who roared away from the defence. This time he fed Tim Wilby, who hit the pass, full pelt and careered down the field. As the defence scrambled back he flicked the ball out of Gildard’s tackle, it went to ground, but Pearce fly hacked on and Jon Sharp touched down to end the rout. A late Betts try and Gregory goal added some respectability to the score line but Wigan were well beaten and, following what was, back then, a rare example of the ’Wigan Walk’, the terraces emptied well before the final whistle, however the old corrugated iron roof over the Kop echoed to the strains of ‘Old Faithful‘, whilst Brian Smith, as was his wont, came out onto the pitch after the game to applaud the crowd, and we all went home happy.

The wizardry of Coleman and Pearce swept us into 4th place that cold night at Central Park, and after two years in the doldrums Brian Smith and the Hull lads had posted the ‘Watch out we’re back’ signs across the rugby league world. What a night, what a performance and what a memory. If you were there you’ll remember it well.

Wigan 20 Hull 35 Great memories!!!

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