Wigan Album

Wigan rugby league football club at Central Park had its last match in September 1999, and shortly after demolished. The Clubhouse is where Tesco petrol station is now. I guess the date this photograph was taken was some time in the 1990s with an Austin Maestro van (there is also a Maestro car, a Mk3 Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Cavalier, Renault 21, Toyota Carina, Audi 100, Rover or Honda, and possibly a much older Austin Maxi).

I've stood at THAT door many times as a kid collecting autographs.

Roy so have I. What a thrill it was to go home on the Saturday night and look at the players names you had got. Then cut out the photos in the PINK and stick them in my Scrap Book..I can see myself now waiting for an hour or so, after the game, for the AWAY team players to come out of that door and get on their coach. Not one of them refused to sign my autograph book. Talking about it now. It only seems like yesterday..

I use to go to the club on a Saturday night , brilliant compare think his name was John Martin , used to see Graham West and Frankie Parr ex. what days.

Whatever the reasons and arguments they should never have left

I completely and utterly agree with you Philip Cunliffe, I was brought up on many player's dating back from 1956 ,era and the day we played our last game against the Saints , i cannot describe my feelings ,needless to say i believe following on from that we were drawn to play the very first game against Castleford in i think was the top 8 or something like that it was on a Sunday Night i and my nephew went along ans we got knocked out of that cup , but what put the lid on for the both of us was the Lack of atmosphere and having to be sat down ,never again ,and to this day have never stepped foot in that stadium . They don't realise what they lost.

' Now I shout it from the highest hill ...'

A famous old ground, old being the operative word, yes, i agree it would have been great to have not moved, the single argument about not moving would have been parking. I first went there in 1953 and for all the seasons until 5th Sept 1999. Every man and his dog used to either travel into Wigan from where they lived on the bus or walk it. This century every spectator goes in his or her car and i'm afraid the limited parking behind the kop stand at Central Park would be totally inadequate. Has you say Alan the first RL game at the 'new' stadium was an Elim Playoff against Cas on Sunday 19th Sept, which we lost 10 - 14, watched by 13,374 Stuart Cummings was the ref. Believe it or not i am about to sit down and watch the video of the last game at Central Park, how ironic is that !!!