Its fair to say, sports fans are hard to please!
When you are not winning, they point out everything you are doing wrong and that its not good enough. When you are winning, you should be winning more or play in an attractive style.
The Widnes fans circa 2012/13, who complain about things ‘not being good enough’ have clearly not supported the club for as long as I have. As mentioned in the previous blog, I caught the back of the club’s glory years but I have also seen the club go through a drastic state of transition. In a 10 year spell alone, Widnes went from almost going out of business to returning to Rugby League’s top flight competition to almost going straight back up to the restrictions of administration and the threat of going out of business again. When you have been through this sort of spell as a fan, you appreciate how good the present is.
In this blog, I shall talk about how the afformentioned spell almost drove me away from the game but then made me realise that its all part of the rollercoaster ride of being a Widnes fan and the reward of Grand Final glory.
The Viking Invasion
1997 was start of a new area for Widnes RLFC. It was the year that the club officially changed its name to the Widnes Vikings. Halton Borough Council took over control and being a major overhall of the club’s home ground. The plan over the next 2-3 years was to turn the old Naughton Park into an all seater stadium capable of holding events for the whole community, not just rugby. This did mean that the capacity was greatly reduced over that time due to the ongoing building work. However, nobody can argue about the long term benefits of the temporary inconvenience as the stadium has gone on to host international games, cup semi finals and divisional grand finals.
Yet this new era did not initially go according to plan. Doug Laughton, whose 3rd spell at the club failed to garner promotion to Super League at the 1st attempt, was moved upstairs to the role of Football Manager (similar role to a Technical Director in Football) with coaching duties being taken over by Bernard Long. The highlights of his brief tenure were the arrival of Sean Long on a free transfer from Wigan and a run to the semi final of the new Plate competition but a revolving door of players in and out, the signing of Sean Long by St Helens, the embarrasment of losing to Hunslet in the Plate semi final (they were in the league below at the time) and a dreadful start to the league campaign spelled the end for Long Snr.
Graeme West became available to take over as he was unceremoniously shown the door at Wigan despite a successful tenure at the club (to date, he is still the only Wigan coach to win the World Club Challenge, and all the domestic trophies on offer in a single season). Unfortunately, despite a brief revival in fortunes, he could not save the club from ‘relegation’. However, Widnes were never relegated as both Huddersfield and Hull were promoted to Super League to make up for Paris folding. Thus Widnes were kept in the 1st division to maintain the balance. Although results improved on the previous season, West’s tactics were seen as negative with the club still loitering around the lower half of the table and not a serious threat to the play offs. As a result, West lost his job just before the end of the season and reserve team coach Colin Whitfield was charged with rebuilding the team.
As well as a new coach, 1999 saw a new structure to the RFL. Divisions One and Two were merged to form the Northern Ford Premiership (taking advantage of the competition’s new sponsership). Experience was added to the young squad with the return of crowd favourites Lee Hansen, Paul Hulme, Jason Critchley and journeyman forward George Mann. Plus the promising aquisitions of Paul Mansson and Phil Cantillon to the fold the season had a much more optimistic outlook. The season had a mixed start however as the Vikings looked good at home but less impressive away. This continued to be the case until around the half way point when things started to click into gear. A series of impressive performances, including a then club record 80-0 against Oldham set them up as serious contenders for the end of season play offs finishing 3rd. Unfortunately, they were narrowly edged out 10-8 by eventual winners Hunslet in the Elimination Semi Final.
2000 saw the return of club legend David Hulme, initially as a player but then became coach after Whitfield paid the price for another mixed start to the season. The season was mostly notable for the emergence of young players such as Chris Percival and Steve Argent, who would each play a pivitol role in Widnes’s efforts to return to Super League. Phil Cantillon would begin a rich run of try scoring which he would take into the following season and was a stand out player in an otherwise inconsistant season for the Vikings. The club made the play off but fell at the first hurdle to a Jamie Rooney inspired Featherstone. A defeat which will be forever documented on the ITV series Rugby League Raw for Hulme’s explosive half time team talk.
Bizarrly the following season began in the December 2000 (so much for summer rugby) and an NFP record attendance against local rivals Leigh on Boxing Day. Despite losing the game Widnes had put up a valliant effort in defeat and set themselves up as one of the main contenders. The Vikings season didn’t run that smoothly throughout though. Even though they were winning games, questions were raised about Hulme’s tactics. When the team had a couple of unexpected defeats, the decision was made to sack Hulme as the board were anxious to get the club back in the top flight. The Widnes board turned to Dewsbury coach, Neil Kelly. He had guided the Rams to two successive Grand Finals, winning it in 2000. However, they failed to meet the Super League criteria to be promoted. Kelly jumped at the chance to turn the Vikings, with superior facilities to the Ram, into a force on the field again. With an influx of shrewed signings including Richard Agar from his old club, began to improve performances. However, one man who came into his own under Kelly was Phil Cantillon. He followed a successful season in 2000 with a world record haul for a forward of 48 tries in a single season, which included another world record of seven tries in a single game against York. His personal performance along with Kelly’s coaching saw the club finish second to Leigh and be the inform team going into the play offs. In another bizarre turn, the complexities of the new play off format saw the top two teams playing each other in the Final Eliminator. Widnes gained revenge from regular season defeats to Leigh and beat them to set up a clash with surprise finalists, Oldham. Despite a shaky start The Vikings had the inititive at half time through tries by Second Rower, Steve Gee and three-quarter Jason Demetriou. Further tries from Cantillon, Demetriou and Damian Munro in the second half sealed a 24-14 win at Spotland, Rochdale and with it, a return to Rugby League’s top flight for the first time in 7 years.
Between that momentous victory in July and their opening Super League game against St Helens, major changes needed to happen. A number of the squad were released in order to accomodation the step up in class. Former favourites Stuart Spruce and Steve McCurrie returned to the club along with the key signings of Aaron Hughes, Barry Eaton, Robert Relf and Steve Carter. Widnes looked in good shape for their first season back in the games elite. A narrow 17-16 defeat to the defending champions at home showed that the Vikings were capable of competing against the very best in the competition. Wins over Castleford and London along with memorable doubles over Warrington, Leeds and Halifax saw Widnes make an impressive return to the top flight. They narrowly missed out by a single point on the play offs, finishing seventh (that David Mills ‘knock on’ against Hull proved crucial).
2003 saw a tough start to the Super League campaign as Widnes lost their first three league games despite encouraging performances. The catalyst for an improvement in performaces was the return of the mercurial Australian, Julian O’Neill. A member of the 1993 Cup Final team, O’Neill was brought in to bolster half back options after Carter was forced to retire due to injury and Eaton was released in the close season. This move allowed Dean Lawford to move to scrum half to cover for the injury ravaged Ryan Sheridan. Upon his return, O’Neill was referred to as ‘Jules’ to distiguish him from Kiwi forward Julian F O’Neill, who arrived the previous season. Though somewhat erratic due to disciplinary issues, Jules turned in a series of match winning displays including the highlight of the season, a 22-20 victory over his former employers Wigan at the JJB Stadium (arguably one of Widnes’s greatest displays in the Super League era) and turning over an impressive Leeds team at home . Although they were in with a chance of topping their placing from their inaugurial season, they ended up in 9th as the good was mixed in with too much of the bad, including horrendous displays against Hull and the second forty against St Helens.
If 2003 promised much but failed to deliver, 2004 was a year of transition and thus, disappointment. The team never really recovered from an appalling pre-season tour of Australia. Fan favourites Phil Cantillon and Jason Demetriou were both released meaning that the three quarter line lacked dynamism and experiece. Aaron Moule was brought in but showed very little of his ‘world class’ tag. Partnering him was the young Nicky Royle who, though extremly fast, was not the best in defence. With the lack of quality signings, the Vikings struggled through the season receving hammering after hammering. As a result, coach Neil Kelly paid the price for the club’s poor performances, proving that sport has no room for sentiment. The arrival of former Kiwi and Wigan coach, Frank Endecott, brought a late renaissance in Widnes’s season including victories over Wigan and Warrington. This led to the club narrowly avoiding relegation, one place above Castleford.
The following season had a much more promising outlook with the arrival of big time experience in the form of local lads Terry O’Connor and John Stankevich along with Mick Cassidy, Mark Smith and Gary Connolly. All four came with decorated CVs and the promise to improve on the previous seasons performances. However, injuries badly effected the consistancy of both the line up and performance of the team. Impressive displays against eventual champions Bradford, Huddersfield and Leigh were balanced out by hammerings against Warrington, Hull and Leeds. Despite having one of the best packs in the competition, the Vikings suffered badly through these injuries and lack of squad depth. Although they finished in the same position as the previous season, the RFL decided that two teams would be relegated to make way for the promoted Castleford and Catalan being granted a Super League licence. Along with Leigh, Widnes’s four year stay in the top flight was over.
Relegation brought with it the usual rebuilding and re-evaluation of a club. Widnes were no different as the majority of players were released as the club looked to return to the Super League at the first time of asking. They retained the services of the popular Mark Smith, O’Connor and Cassidy as well as bringing in Barrie McDermott highly rated Australian, David Peachey. who made good on his promise to come to the Vikings despite relegation. There were also changes off the field as long time chairman Tony Chambers ended his stewardship of the club, handing over the reigns to Steve Vaughan. Frank Endecott also ended his association with the Vikings to be replaced by Steve McCormack. The Wigan born coach had led Whitehaven to two successive National League 1 Grand Finals, losing out to Leigh and Castleford. Through the Vikings he felt he had found a club who matched his ambitions of coaching again in Super League. Widnes made up for a slow start by finshing second behind fellow Grand Finalists, Hull KR. The Robins were the Vikings bogey team that season having beaten them three times already before the final itself. Despite a huge efffort, Hull KR proved why they were the best team over the course of the season emerging victorious 29-16.
During the off season, the Vikings lost Mick Cassidy, Barrie McDermott and Terry O’Connor all to retirement. However, they had also made some shrewed purchases to balance this by signing the likes of Dennis Moran, Jordan James and Dean Gaskell. From the early stages of the season, the league looked a straight fight between the Vikings and newly relegated Castleford (who were something of a yo-yo club during this period). Widnes won the two clashes in the first half of the campaign to make them the early pace setters and, for the first time ever, Northern Rail Cup Finalists. They defeated Whitehaven in a physical, yet one sided final at Bloomfield Road, Blackpool 54-6. All seemed rosy and a return to Super League looked highly likely. However, dark clouds were gathering in the background. Steve Vaughan had suddendly resigned at the start of the season but the full financial repercussions had not set in until well into the second half of the season. The Vikings were in financial dire straits and whilst this may not have directly led to a mixed second half of the campaign, it would not have helped as Widnes lost to Halifax and Castleford to slip to second in the table, which was where they finished. There was more than just a place in Super League on the line when the two met for the final time at Headingley in the Grand Final. The Tigers outclassed and outplayed the Vikings 42-10 as sadly Widnes seamed to save their worst performance of the season to last.
Yet as I and many other Widnes fans made the journey home from that defeat, very few of us would have expected what was going to happen next. The financial pressures of missing out on Super League for a second successive season along with Vaughan’s abrupt exit meant the Viking’s board had no other choice but to place the club into voluntary administration. It remains arguably the Viking’s darkest hour as it looked as if it was one set back that Widnes would never recover from. Fortunately, for the club (and the town), there was a ‘Black and White Knight’ waiting in the wings.
NB The next time a Viking’s fans complains about ‘how bad the club have been in Super League’, tell them this: ‘In 1997 and 2007, things were a hell of a lot worse!
Next time…Part 3 The Vikings Rise Again: The 3 O’Connors and rigors of the Licencing process
TIGER TIMES 