By Ian Gatward @gatwardian
As they say in sporting terms what a difference a year makes. This time last year we had just survived a winding up order, we were scratching around to raise a squad and wondering if we even had a ground to play our home fixtures on. In other words we literally were becoming a laughing stock in the game and also you could hear the Anti London Broncos brigade ready to plunge the knife into the club.
Look at us now, not only have we a coach who I believe with a lot of luck can take us back into top flight Rugby League but also recruited a mixture of seasoned professionals and young players who have both the experience and talent to get us there, but also what a thrill to see them unveil the new kit, the throwback to Fulham Rugby League Football Club with its Black with white Chevron and red piping.
Now I have to say that I don't normally get worked up or excited too much about kits as it is who plays in them and the results of the team that matters more but 35 years on from that wonderful day at Craven Cottage I have to say a little lump in my throat was there as straight away my memories came back of those great Sunday afternoons down by the River Thames watching players I had never really heard off but seen on TV.
I was asked to give my own views my own personal memories and my favourite times supporting the Rugby Club I have seen through good,bad,disastrous and nervous times.
Let's go back to Sept 1980 when Reg Bowden led out the Fulham side against Wigan who was led out by George Fairbairn, now I never expected a large crowd but 9,500 fans turned up to see Fulham beat Wigan 24-5, seeing players become legends like Ian Van Bellen, Tony Karalius, Mal Aspey, John Risman etc etc, the following week they travelled to Bramley and lost but during that season some moments stuck out for me, Fulham played Leeds in front of 12,000 fans in the John Player Trophy and 15,000 v Wakefield Trinity in the Challenge cup of course the experienced sides beat us but all of a sudden Rugby League in the capital became the hottest ticket in town now who would have believed that, I recollect going to Mount Pleasant home of Batley and Hunslet who were sharing, I cannot remember who we played one Sunday afternoon but York were already up as champions and with the last kick of the game David Eckersley had the opportunity to kick the goal to give us victory and see us gain promotion, he was just short but the impressive part of it was we took 2 coach loads of fans and people going up by cars and on the grassy banking behind the ground we all gathered but it was not to be and the chants of Fulham Fulham certainly made the locals sit up and take notice.
Now earlier in the season we were on our way to Rochdale to play Rochdale Hornets but that game was postponed because of heavy snow which meant that the game had to be played again on the Thursday night after the game at Batley, now the game was played in what was a dust bowl, don't forget the game was a winter game and as per usual the grounds pretty dried up and on an emotional night, Harry Beverley scored the match winning try to ensure we got the points we needed to make it to Division one of the Rugby League, wow first season and promotion already. But the story of the season was not to end there. Bradford Northern Chairman whose name I forget made a statement that suggested something along the lnes that we were not good enough to make promotion so therefore a £10,000 winner takes all challenge match was to be played on the eve of the Challenge Cup final at Craven Cottage and on a Friday night 10,000 or so fans with a lot made up of the cup final participants saw David Allen score a hat trick as Fulham beat Bradford, in that same year we visited grounds like Blackpool and Huyton and Doncaster who were always the bottom 2 teams in the championship playing in front of 200 or so fans in fact my memory was of a man called Geoff Fletcher who singlehanded kept Huyton going.
So there was the first season of Rugby League in the capital as I knew it in my next part I will explain how massive the gulf was between Division 1 and 2 in the championship the gulf between Great Britain and Australia in those days and the Jimmy Hill factor on the club.
You can always find me on Twitter @Gatwardian or e mail me on [email protected] in the meantime in the off season let us go and get new fans and take friends and relatives to show them what such a great sport and a great club we have.
Until my next segment,
All the very best,
Ian
As they say in sporting terms what a difference a year makes. This time last year we had just survived a winding up order, we were scratching around to raise a squad and wondering if we even had a ground to play our home fixtures on. In other words we literally were becoming a laughing stock in the game and also you could hear the Anti London Broncos brigade ready to plunge the knife into the club.
Look at us now, not only have we a coach who I believe with a lot of luck can take us back into top flight Rugby League but also recruited a mixture of seasoned professionals and young players who have both the experience and talent to get us there, but also what a thrill to see them unveil the new kit, the throwback to Fulham Rugby League Football Club with its Black with white Chevron and red piping.
Now I have to say that I don't normally get worked up or excited too much about kits as it is who plays in them and the results of the team that matters more but 35 years on from that wonderful day at Craven Cottage I have to say a little lump in my throat was there as straight away my memories came back of those great Sunday afternoons down by the River Thames watching players I had never really heard off but seen on TV.
I was asked to give my own views my own personal memories and my favourite times supporting the Rugby Club I have seen through good,bad,disastrous and nervous times.
Let's go back to Sept 1980 when Reg Bowden led out the Fulham side against Wigan who was led out by George Fairbairn, now I never expected a large crowd but 9,500 fans turned up to see Fulham beat Wigan 24-5, seeing players become legends like Ian Van Bellen, Tony Karalius, Mal Aspey, John Risman etc etc, the following week they travelled to Bramley and lost but during that season some moments stuck out for me, Fulham played Leeds in front of 12,000 fans in the John Player Trophy and 15,000 v Wakefield Trinity in the Challenge cup of course the experienced sides beat us but all of a sudden Rugby League in the capital became the hottest ticket in town now who would have believed that, I recollect going to Mount Pleasant home of Batley and Hunslet who were sharing, I cannot remember who we played one Sunday afternoon but York were already up as champions and with the last kick of the game David Eckersley had the opportunity to kick the goal to give us victory and see us gain promotion, he was just short but the impressive part of it was we took 2 coach loads of fans and people going up by cars and on the grassy banking behind the ground we all gathered but it was not to be and the chants of Fulham Fulham certainly made the locals sit up and take notice.
Now earlier in the season we were on our way to Rochdale to play Rochdale Hornets but that game was postponed because of heavy snow which meant that the game had to be played again on the Thursday night after the game at Batley, now the game was played in what was a dust bowl, don't forget the game was a winter game and as per usual the grounds pretty dried up and on an emotional night, Harry Beverley scored the match winning try to ensure we got the points we needed to make it to Division one of the Rugby League, wow first season and promotion already. But the story of the season was not to end there. Bradford Northern Chairman whose name I forget made a statement that suggested something along the lnes that we were not good enough to make promotion so therefore a £10,000 winner takes all challenge match was to be played on the eve of the Challenge Cup final at Craven Cottage and on a Friday night 10,000 or so fans with a lot made up of the cup final participants saw David Allen score a hat trick as Fulham beat Bradford, in that same year we visited grounds like Blackpool and Huyton and Doncaster who were always the bottom 2 teams in the championship playing in front of 200 or so fans in fact my memory was of a man called Geoff Fletcher who singlehanded kept Huyton going.
So there was the first season of Rugby League in the capital as I knew it in my next part I will explain how massive the gulf was between Division 1 and 2 in the championship the gulf between Great Britain and Australia in those days and the Jimmy Hill factor on the club.
You can always find me on Twitter @Gatwardian or e mail me on [email protected] in the meantime in the off season let us go and get new fans and take friends and relatives to show them what such a great sport and a great club we have.
Until my next segment,
All the very best,
Ian