The Dentist Wilf wrote:
Seen as it's the closed season I thought I'd dwell on that Hunslet game on Friday 18th May 1979. What a night that was as we attempted to be the only Club to win every league game in a season and all that stood in our way was our nearest rivals for most of that season Hunslet. This is how I remembered it.
.........After a couple of pints in the packed Humberside Sportsman’s Club which was then run by my childhood pal Tony Roberts and which was the new ‘guise’ of the old supporters club, we joined 12,424 people crammed into the Boulevard. I went back to my roots that night and watched the game from the Gordon Street end of a packed Threepenny Stand where the atmosphere was electric. Hunslet really did not offer much at all on attack but their tenacious tackling soon subdued even the passionately loud fans around me, as the visitors did everything they could to keep us out. Lloyd, our record breaking kicker, missed four goals in the first half and
at half time the scores stood at 1-0 after ‘Knocker’ Norton had dropped a solitary goal.
The thorn in our side that night was Tony Dean, a little general and a player who was to sign and star for us two years later. He was known as the ‘drop goal king’ of British Rugby League. Although he missed with two attempts from narrow angles he slid one over from 30 yards bang infront in the second half to level the scores.
It was certainly not a classic game, but for sheer tension and ultimate ecstasy, with so much at stake, it still ranks as high as any game I can remember at the Boulevard........ AS BP said without teams like Hunsdlet competing and being part of it all over the years the game would not be here today.
Great recollection there Wilf, your memory is certainly working better than mine here!
Had completely forgotten it was Knocker who opened the scoring with the drop goal! Also Sammy missing almost as many kicks that night as he had done in the previous 25 games combined!
I do remember the reason why the game took place so late (18th May and a Friday night to boot which was a rare occurrence back then) was due to a horrendous winter with it snowing for seemed like weeks on end. Barely a game was played across Jan/Feb leading to a massive fixture backlog for everyone which meant the season over-ran well beyond the usual end date.
Like Wilf says, it was an incredibly tense night with the developing score line doing absolutely nothing to calm the crowd (12424!!! unbelievable!). It had become obvious we were going to promoted back up to division one even before we had reached Christmas, and it was highly likely we were always going to finish top, but the whole second half of the season revolved around the fact could we win all 26 games.
Halfway through the second half that night the whole season felt like it was on a knife edge, amazing really for a team long since assured of promotion, but the whole club (Bunting, the players, supporters) became obsessed with 26 wins all the way through the winter-spring of '79.
Charlie Stone's try (barnstorming run from about three yards out I think
) brought about a mixture of relief and ecstasy in equal measure for all. Seem to remember also that because it was mid May it was still fairly light at the end, even though it was an evening game, especially after the freezing dark nights of the winter.
Even though it was only promotion out of division two (we've only spent two years outside the top tier since that night) the achievement ranks alongside any of the titles and cup wins which decorate our proud history. The momentum that team instilled into the club carried us forward through the next six years up to 1985.
It's difficult to put across the pride we felt in our team and club at that time, how we felt and believed that they were representing us, how we lived and suffered with the team through the many highs and, at times, crushing disappointments as if we were all out there on the field with the players.
For those of us of a certain vintage!!, this is why these recent seasons have been so dispiriting and morale sapping. It's not just the pathetic level of performance (although that's bad enough) which has been served up for far too long now. It's simply the seemingly complete lack of respect and pride in the team, the club, themselves and, most importantly, we the long suffering faithful.
We may have been playing second division rugby in 1978/79, but in terms of pride, passion, commitment, energy (along with no small amount of rugby skills) and in their bond with the Boulevard faithful it was the polar opposite of the frankly unacceptable dross which we have had to endure these past four years, this year especially!!
Anyway, it was a great night for Hull Fc in May 1979, and it triggered a great period with so many memories for some of us and so many outstanding players donning the famous shirt.
Once again, congratulations to Hunslet on a deserved promotion. Like I said earlier, I still have a soft spot for them for their part in pushing us so hard in 78/79. Maybe one day we will meet again, though hopefully not in the Championship
.
