fevnut's musings 2023/#27: Keighley, 100% records and Bradford

  

Keighley

After James Ford’s first game at Sheffield, this was a game we were particularly looking forward to.

There were many good signs in the Sheffield game so would we kick on further? Sadly, despite winning 36-6, we were disappointed. We didn’t seem to have kicked on at all, indeed it felt like three steps forward and then one back.

There were some excellent passing movements among the backs, but far fewer against Keighley even though we were playing a much weaker team.

Having said that Keighley played better than we were expecting. The highlight for us was the long-range break by Gareth Gale and the brilliant backing up by Connor Jones that led to the try even though Gareth was caught. It started with nice interplay involving Aekins, Davies, Kheirallah and Chisholm in our own 20 metre before it reached Gaz who then showed the powerful running we have missed recently.

However, the injuries to Arama Hau (our best player in recent weeks) and Luke Briscoe are a huge concern at this stage of the year. That does beg the question of what has happened to Kyle Evans. He went on loan to London Broncos but has only played one game for them back in late June. Is he injured? Is he still a Fev player or have we released him?

 

100 Per Cent records

A few days ago we started thinking about the trip up North to play Newcastle Thunder confident that, even if we were to have a bad game at Odsal, we would surely claim the League Leaders Shield at Newcastle.

Then we had a mental flashback to the 2002 season. You have probably forgotten but the 2002 season started at the beginning of December 2001 (so much for summer rugby). Our third match was away to Gateshead Thunder (as they were called then) and it should have been an easy win for Fev. How on earth we failed we can’t recall. The match ended up in a 12-12 draw. The ignominy of it is well illustrated by looking at the final table for that season. Gateshead finished bottom with a record of: Played 27, Won 0, Lost 26 and Drawn 1!

It has been the only occasion against Newcastle/Gateshead Thunder that we failed to win. That started us off thinking about the clubs against whom we do have a 100% winning record.

Blackpool Panthers: played them nine times although under three different names. The same club played against us as Chorley Lynx and Lancashire Lynx as well as Blackpool Panthers.

Mansfield Marksman: Our record is three wins in three matches, all in the 1987/88 season. Twice in the league and once in the divisional Premiership. When they came to Post Office Road for the league match, they managed to score 10 points, losing 10-26. In the away match Mansfield scored a solitary penalty (22-2) and in the Divisional Premiership, just a drop goal, with Fev winning 42-1!

Blackpool Borough: another club who went under several different names – Blackpool Borough, Blackpool Gladiators, Springfield Borough, Chorley Borough and finally Trafford Borough. We played them and beat them three times.

The other 4 clubs (three of them French teams) against whom Fev have a 100% winning record are clubs we only ever played once.

They are Lézignan (Challenge Cup), Pia (European Club Championship), Scarborough Pirates (Yorkshire Cup) and Villeneuve Leopards (Challenge Cup).

There are just three clubs against whom Fev have a 100% losing record.

In the 1935/36 season two clubs were created in London by a businessman called Sydney Parkes. One was Streatham and Mitcham and the other Acton and Willesden. There appears to have been some crazy fixture planning (nothing new in Rugby League!). Fev’s opening match of the season was against Wakefield Trinity. The following Thursday we were away to Acton & Willesden and just two days later we had our home match against them. We lost both games against Acton & Willesden, who only lasted one season before being subsumed into Streatham & Mitcham who, in turn, only lasted one more year. So that is the first of our 100% losing records.

Many of you will remember that at the end of the 1998 season, after we had lost in the Grand Final, there was a crazy tournament called Treize Tournoi which involved Wakefield, Fev and Lancashire Lynx from England and Limoux, St-Estève and Villeneuve from France.

Playing after the Grand Final there was very little interest in the competition from fans or players and we lost both our matches against St-Estève so we have a 100% losing record against them also.

It looks as if Fev will never have an opportunity to rid us of those 100% records. Acton & Willesden don’t exist and St-Estève have become the reserve team (playing in the French Elite competition) of Catalans Dragons.

And that is ironic because the third team, against whom we have a 100% losing record, is Catalans Dragons. Fev have faced Les Dracs five times, four in the Challenge Cup and once in the Super 8 Qualifiers.

The first time, in 2007, we were well beaten by 70-12. In the following four matches Fev were much more competitive and, although we lost each time, the margins have been 14, 13, 10 and 3 points. So, who knows, maybe we will be playing them in Super League next year and have the opportunity erase the 100% losing record!

The chances are that some of you have noticed an omission in the list of clubs against whom we have a 100% winning record.

Since 1921, Fev have never been beaten by an amateur team. So, of course we have 100% records against every team we have played which includes 14 teams in the Challenge Cup, 1 in the Yorkshire Cup and 1 in the John Player Trophy.

However, there was one occasion when an amateur club did beat professional opposition in the Challenge Cup at Post Office Road. We were there! A glorious occasion when Sharlston Rovers triumphed against Dewsbury Rams 30-28 in 2004.

 

Bradford

We had to think briefly about whether we were going to go to Odsal on Sunday.

It is probably our least favourite away venue with many reasons contributing to that. Despite having done a lot of alpine climbing in our younger days, we now have mobility problems and Odsal is the worst ground to go to for anyone unable to scramble up and down vast numbers of steps.

Then there is the pitch. How on earth do the RFL consider that it is acceptable for professional rugby league? It is so narrow that it completely changes the nature of how teams have to play and quite frankly the corners, which run over the speedway track, are dangerous.

But we are going to be there. It is such an important test for our team under James Ford. Bradford have had an impressive record recently. They have won four of their last five games and risen to third in the table having been as low as eighth at the beginning of May.

The current team has undergone massive changes since we beat them, at home, in March. Those changes are underlined by the fact that they have used 45 players this season. Amongst the new signings since May are Lee Gaskell, Jason Baitieri, Jorge Taufua, James Segeyaro and Eribe Doro, all quality players.

It will be a tough game and one we can’t possibly miss! #UTR

 

No Comment

The news that has come out concerning our Chairman is a big blow to the club. But we will make no comment and urge all those who love the Rovers to do likewise. Idle speculation on social media will do nothing but harm.

Already fans of other clubs are trying to use the situation to their own ends. Ignore it. Don’t respond.