It was twenty years ago today... : Wed Mar 20, 2013 1:41 pm  

Here's an idea. Good Friday will be, within a few days, the twentieth anniversary of that memorable Good Friday match when we beat Batley to win the Third Division Championship. For the Barrow game, how about getting some of that great team back: Paul Moses, Jeff Butterfield, Andy Stephenson, John Wasyliw, Carlton Farrell and all. How about letting anyone who comes in 1993 retro gear in half price? Anyone still got a PVC flag?

Re: It was twenty years ago today... : Wed Mar 20, 2013 1:47 pm  

Cracking idea to not just boost the attendance, but also create some atmosphere. On both counts it could do with improvement.

Maybe a Q&A in the bar with those players after the game (who's doing what now, reminiscing about the game etc with it being played in the big screen. It might mean folk spend a few quid behind the bar and might drag a few down.

Re: It was twenty years ago today... : Wed Mar 20, 2013 1:50 pm  

Lawkholme Len wrote:

Here's an idea. Good Friday will be, within a few days, the twentieth anniversary of that memorable Good Friday match when we beat Batley to win the Third Division Championship. For the Barrow game, how about getting some of that great team back: Paul Moses, Jeff Butterfield, Andy Stephenson, John Wasyliw, Carlton Farrell and all. How about letting anyone who comes in 1993 retro gear in half price? Anyone still got a PVC flag?

It's a brilliant idea but I think the kick off time of 3pm might just put a dampner on things.

Re: It was twenty years ago today... : Wed Mar 20, 2013 10:22 pm  

I did have one of those PVC flags, but its long since gone. Its a great idea though

Re: It was twenty years ago today... : Thu Mar 21, 2013 8:59 am  

It was one of the greatest moments of my life on a very wet Friday Night. After so much hard work by so many people it was amazing to see so many people come to the game.I hate to think what could have happened if it was a dry night the crowd could have been much bigger and people could have been hurt....We were not that aware of ground safety in those days. I remember being so overcome with emotion after the game I locked myself in a cupboard and cried my eyes out. Oh happy days.

Re: It was twenty years ago today... : Thu Mar 21, 2013 9:15 am  

Cougarmikesmith wrote:

It was one of the greatest moments of my life on a very wet Friday Night. After so much hard work by so many people it was amazing to see so many people come to the game.I hate to think what could have happened if it was a dry night the crowd could have been much bigger and people could have been hurt....We were not that aware of ground safety in those days. I remember being so overcome with emotion after the game I locked myself in a cupboard and cried my eyes out. Oh happy days.

Great game, great night, great times.

Everyone scrunched together, soaking wet and cold but the atmosphere was electric.

Oh for those heady days again.

Re: It was twenty years ago today... : Thu Mar 21, 2013 7:12 pm  

It must have been great to experience that era, you can still feel the passion reading Mike Smiths post. It would be great if that sort of passion was around today. All those directors did the town proud. I wonder if they would have brought the Good Fridays game forward to help Barrow!

Re: It was twenty years ago today... : Fri Mar 22, 2013 10:16 am  

Cougar Lass wrote:

It must have been great to experience that era.

It was absolutely fantastic. Don't forget that the years leading up to that time, i.e. the 80s, had been extremely bleak at Keighley so it was very exciting to see the club and the team take off to those heights. The ground was packed to the rafters every week, away matches saw a convoy of Cougars fans take to the roads; it really seemed as if every other car you saw was full of red, green & white. The atmosphere in the town was like nothing I ever experienced before or since - there was a real buzz about the place, everyone seemed to be on the up. As it happens I've just been watching my DVD of the review of the 94-95 season; by eck it brings a lump to my throat. Nick Pinkney running like the wind, big Brendan crashing over through the entire opposition team, and my favourite bit of commentary as Pinkney goes in for his try in that game against Warrington - "JONATHON DAVIES - WIPE MY BOOTS!". Just think what might have been, for both the club and the town, had it not been for Maurice bloody Lindsay and his mates. I hope they're well pleased with their crowds of under 2,000 at Salford and London in their Super Dooper League. Our team would have graced any league so yes, it really was great to experience that era.

Re: It was twenty years ago today... : Fri Mar 22, 2013 2:33 pm  

They say the crowd on 9th April 1993 was "more than 5,000" and I have heard some say "there were a lot more there than that!" The game had everything and wrung the whole gamut of emotions out of us. Big Joe getting sent off early on and we thought it was all lost. But we came back (with a change of kit at half-time) and triumphed in the mud and the mizzle of that memorable (very) Good Friday night. Shame we can't get some of that glory to rub off on today's Cougars.

Re: It was twenty years ago today... : Fri Mar 22, 2013 6:17 pm  

It was about the 3rd or 4th game I went to...

I remember being in the scratting shed perched on the wall leaning over the advertising hoardings and breying the hell out of them. Carlton Farrell ran the full length of the field high fiving every kid perched there.

The atmosphere was so intense even when Smokin' Joe was sent off you just knew we weren't going to fail.

I'd love to see an atmosphere like that at Cougar Park, sadly because of the way the games been sanitised, and moved away from it's traditional working class roots, I don't think we ever will.