Workington Town: Difference between revisions
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==History== |
==History== |
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They were founded in 1945, immediately after the [[Second World War]]. They were the first side from [[Cumberland]] to enter the professional league, though rugby league had long been strong in the area. They first played their home games at [[Borough Park (Workington)|Borough Park]]. The first match against [[Broughton Rangers]] on Saturday 25 August, 1945 attracted a crowd of 4,100 to Borough Park. Workington went on to win 27-5. |
They were founded in 1945, immediately after the [[Second World War]]. They were the first side from [[Cumberland]] to enter the professional league, though rugby league had long been strong in the area. They first played their home games, wearing green and red hoops, at [[Borough Park (Workington)|Borough Park]]. The first match against [[Broughton Rangers]] on Saturday 25 August, 1945 attracted a crowd of 4,100 to Borough Park. Workington went on to win 27-5.[http://www.whitehaven-news.co.uk/workington_town_s_new_strip_revealed_1_263750?referrerPath=2.1711] |
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[[Gus Risman]] joined Workington Town as player-coach in August 1946 when they had been in the Northern Rugby League for only one season. In his eight years at the club, he made them into a team capable of beating Wigan or anyone else in the league. He led them to [[Rugby League Challenge Cup|Challenge Cup]] and [[Rugby League Championship|Championship]] glory at the age of 41 in 1952. |
[[Gus Risman]] joined Workington Town as player-coach in August 1946 when they had been in the Northern Rugby League for only one season. In his eight years at the club, he made them into a team capable of beating Wigan or anyone else in the league. He led them to [[Rugby League Challenge Cup|Challenge Cup]] and [[Rugby League Championship|Championship]] glory at the age of 41 in 1952. |
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Revision as of 10:49, 24 July 2009
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| [[File:Workington coat of arms|frameless]] | |
| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Workington Town Rugby League Football Club |
| Colours | Blue & white |
| Founded | 1945 |
| Website | http://www.townrlfc.com/index.php |
| Current details | |
| Ground(s) | |
| Competition | Co-operative Championship 1 |
Workington Town is a professional rugby league club playing in Workington in West Cumbria. They play in Co-operative Championship 1. Their stadium is called Derwent Park, which they share with Workington Comets, a speedway team.
Their nickname is simply 'Town', though they are sometimes referred to as 'Worky' by fans of other teams.
Their local rivals are Whitehaven, who joined the league three years after Workington Town.
History
They were founded in 1945, immediately after the Second World War. They were the first side from Cumberland to enter the professional league, though rugby league had long been strong in the area. They first played their home games, wearing green and red hoops, at Borough Park. The first match against Broughton Rangers on Saturday 25 August, 1945 attracted a crowd of 4,100 to Borough Park. Workington went on to win 27-5.[1]
Gus Risman joined Workington Town as player-coach in August 1946 when they had been in the Northern Rugby League for only one season. In his eight years at the club, he made them into a team capable of beating Wigan or anyone else in the league. He led them to Challenge Cup and Championship glory at the age of 41 in 1952.
There was a club record 20,403 for the third round Cup game against St Helens. Town won the Championship final in 1951 by beating Warrington at Maine Road. In the 1952 final of the Challenge Cup, the first to be televised, Town beat Featherstone Rovers 18-10 in front of a crowd of 72,093 at Wembley Stadium. During the 1954/55 season, Workington Town made it to the Challenge Cup final but were beaten 21-12 by Barrow.
Town moved to Derwent Park in 1956. Workington Town lost in the in 1958 Challenge Cup final to Wigan and one week later, they lost in the Championship final at Odsal Stadium, Bradford.
In 1962, the league was split into East and West of the Pennines; Widnes and Workington Town met at Central Park, Wigan, in the first final of the Western Division Championship on Saturday 10 November, 1962. With two minutes remaining, Syd Lowdon dropped a goal to earn Workington a 9-9 draw. Later in the month Workington won the replay 10-0.
The record attendance at Derwent Park was set in 1965 when 17,741 spectators turned up for a third round Challenge Cup match against Wigan. Paul Charlton took over as player-coach in 1975 and guided them to promotion. Town also won the Lancashire Cup beating Wigan in the final in 1977 and appeared in four consecutive finals between 1976 and 1979 (losing the other three all to Widnes in close games).
The last of those four finals was staged at the Willows on Saturday 8 December, 1979, and attracted a crowd of 6,887. Widnes were firm favourites to lift the cup and held the Cumbrians at bay to register an 11-0 victory. Probably as a result of the three previous finals, several top class forwards caught the eye of the wealthy Lancashire clubs who enticed them away from Derwent Park.
Workington won the Second Division Championship and Divisional Premiership trophy double in 1993/94, having been beaten finalists in the 1992/93 Divisional Premiership while in the 3rd Division. When the Super League was set up, it was proposed that Workington merge with Barrow, Carlisle and Whitehaven to form a Cumbrian super club to be based at Workington. This was, however, resisted and an unmerged Workington took part in Super League but would record only two wins all season. They finished bottom of the table and were relegated to the Northern Ford Premiership with significant debts.
In 2002 Town dropped into National League Two as a result of losing to Dewsbury in what was the fore-runner of the NL2 Grand Final. Billy McGinty took over as coach on May 25, 2003.
In 2003, Ged Stokes was in charge of the New Zealand A-team on their tour of England, at the end of the tour, he was offered the vacant coaching job at Town. Workington were at a low ebb and had only seven players in their squad.[2]
A Challenge Cup game against Leeds brought a bumper crowd that allowed the club to clear their debts. Ged Stokes was sacked, despite being completely exonerated by the RFL, following a club disciplinary hearing in April 2007, following an alleged row with a visiting supporter during the Northern Rail Cup clash with Barrow two months earlier. Stokes took legal action against the club citing unfair dismissal and the club eventually made an offer of settlement in November 2007 just days before the case was due to be heard in the High Court.[3]
Assistant coaches Craig Barker and Les Ashe took over and led the team to the Elimination Semi-Final but they were defeated by Oldham. A few weeks after Town's 2007 season had come to a close Town appointed Whitehaven coach Dave Rotheram as their new coach. In Rotheram's first season in charge Town finished 8th in National League Two with only six wins from their twenty two games and were elminated in the first round of the play-offs at Keighley.
Town have started rebuilding for the 2009 season with some very impressive signings already and they are hoping to be at the top end of the league table next season
2009 Squad
Players earning International Caps while at Workington Town
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Other Notable Players
Club Honours
- Championship Winners: 1950-51 - Beaten Finalists: 1957-58 - Division Two Champions: 1993-94 - Challenge Cup Winners: 1951-52 - Beaten Finalists: 1954-55, 1957-58 - Second Division/Divisional Premiership Winners: 1993-94 - Beaten Finalists: 1992-93 - Lancashire Cup Winners: 1977-78 - Beaten Finalists: 1976-77, 1978-79, 1979-80 - Western Division Championship Winners: 1962-63