Cougars ’superfan’ clocks up a milestone. : Tue May 19, 2009 3:53 pm
Keighley Cougars’ Co-operative Championship One game at Blackpool Panthers on Sunday will see Sue Dodds post a significant milepost – it will be her 1,000th successive game both home and away.
The 49-year-old mother of one and a local government officer clocks up this latest landmark in a continuous run of games that stretches back to February 1979.
“My biggest fear is that Cougars will play a game and I won’t be there,” said Sue. “I might have achieved my 1,000th game earlier but back in February 1979 there was a re-arranged Cup game against Huyton and it was played in the afternoon. I just couldn’t get time off work to go”.
Since then she’s covered thousands of miles watching the Cougars journeying to Pia in the South of France, various points in the south of England and quite a number of stadiums in Wales.
“There have been some great moments like when the Cougars won the old Third Division title in the 1992 -93 season – their first trophy of any kind for 90 years – and beating Huddersfield in the 1994 Divisional Premiership Final at Old Trafford.
“But there’s also been some tough times too especially in the 1980s when we finished bottom of the whole league.”
And, throughout the whole journey Sue has kept a detailed record of all the games she has seen.
And here’s some key statistics from her log book: She’s seen the Cougars win 462 matches, lose 505 and draw 32: During that time they’ve scored 20,874 points and concede 20,846 points: She’s watched them play on 79 different grounds: The most numerous visitors to Cougar Park have been Hunslet Hawks and Rochdale Hornets (28 games) and she’s followed the Cougars to Dewsbury Rams on 27 occasions!
“It’s a pity we don’t play Blackpool the week after because it would have coincided with the second game in the 1,000-game journey. It would have been good to have started and ended with the same club,” she said. “But I’ve enjoyed every game and I’m looking forward to building on my record”.
Neil Spencer, the Cougars’ Chairman, said: “Sue’s an amazing Cougars fan and I see her everywhere we go in the game. To have watched the club for so many successive games is an incredible achievement and she deserves real congratulations for staying so loyal to the club.
“We look forward to seeing her at many, many more matches”.
