Here we go!!!!!
 
I couldn’t sleep at all I was still living it!! I couldn’t stop marvelling at it in the journey of coming down after the match. I just couldn’t believe it. A stack of Buds afterwards in fact never touched it!!!
 Having come down a bit this morning from a truly amazing experience which after 64 years of season tickets was still a privilege to experience, I marvelled at how I had witnessed a second half that was one of those rare occasions when after thousands of hours of live rugby watching YOUR club, you still can’t believe what’s happening before your eyes. Over egging it??? Well why not, for when you take your partisan views out of it for the average RL follower it was in the overall picture of rugby pretty earth shattering. 
For me it was the last five minutes at Wembley in 2016, it was Rover at Caravan Park in 2016 and it was Porky Pearce’s break, Dicks backing up and the subsequent try by McCaffrey against Wigan after the hooter had gone that famous time at the Boulevard on 20^th March 1988. To the dedicated obsessive it was one of those moments you never forget the ones that as true fans we milestone our lives with. OK we won’t win the cup but what an unexpected and even unimaginable victory that was. 
 
 I expected to get up and find it was in fact Saturday morning and it had all been a dream that was in essence so far-fetched it was rubbish. This was Wigan at their fortress defending their record of winning everything and blowing everyone away last season. Wigan who started this season like a house on fire and who put over 40 on us just 4 weeks ago at home. Wigan about whom a Thesaurus of compliments had been exausted. No one, including me, gave us a hope and after 15 minutes with us 16 points down, the only consolation as I watched through my fingers was that I got that bit right!!! No one gave us a hope and anyone who said they still did at half time is a liar!! I don’t care how wise you are after the event!!
 
Yet somehow just like us constantly defying the odds and keeping Leigh out last week some magical manifestation came to pass and we fought and fought sometimes against the officials and our lack of any luck and often against a really class outfit desperate to continue their domination of the British game (but who, in fairness I admit, perhaps believed their own publicity once they were well in front). But, in the end somehow we came through. Old men did it all again and rolled back the years and young heroes became legends in a very special game and we all simply couldn’t believe it. How often has such a scenario seen the side we had fought to get back close to just got the final heartbreaker, how often have we just failed to get that final score and how often have we thrown it away in the last seconds. Many times, I hear you say, but not this time guys… we did em!!!!
 
So, enjoy the afterglow of the next four or so days and the Rovers fans trying to explain it away, then with two days to go to the next hit up we’ll all start panicking again!!! But make no mistake about it, this was a very, very special moment in out supporting lives and one we should never forget. I don’t know about it being the hope that kills you but at times like this, I think it’s the obsession and love that does that!! At least I still know the old tickers OK!! What a Brilliant win!!!

P.S. Good piece by Dan https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/hull-fc-rise-new-found-10027775

Here we go!!!!!
 
I couldn’t sleep at all I was still living it!! I couldn’t stop marvelling at it in the journey of coming down after the match. I just couldn’t believe it. A stack of Buds afterwards in fact never touched it!!!
 Having come down a bit this morning from a truly amazing experience which after 64 years of season tickets was still a privilege to experience, I marvelled at how I had witnessed a second half that was one of those rare occasions when after thousands of hours of live rugby watching YOUR club, you still can’t believe what’s happening before your eyes. Over egging it??? Well why not, for when you take your partisan views out of it for the average RL follower it was in the overall picture of rugby pretty earth shattering. 
For me it was the last five minutes at Wembley in 2016, it was Rover at Caravan Park in 2016 and it was Porky Pearce’s break, Dicks backing up and the subsequent try by McCaffrey against Wigan after the hooter had gone that famous time at the Boulevard on 20^th March 1988. To the dedicated obsessive it was one of those moments you never forget the ones that as true fans we milestone our lives with. OK we won’t win the cup but what an unexpected and even unimaginable victory that was. 
 
 I expected to get up and find it was in fact Saturday morning and it had all been a dream that was in essence so far-fetched it was rubbish. This was Wigan at their fortress defending their record of winning everything and blowing everyone away last season. Wigan who started this season like a house on fire and who put over 40 on us just 4 weeks ago at home. Wigan about whom a Thesaurus of compliments had been exausted. No one, including me, gave us a hope and after 15 minutes with us 16 points down, the only consolation as I watched through my fingers was that I got that bit right!!! No one gave us a hope and anyone who said they still did at half time is a liar!! I don’t care how wise you are after the event!!
 
Yet somehow just like us constantly defying the odds and keeping Leigh out last week some magical manifestation came to pass and we fought and fought sometimes against the officials and our lack of any luck and often against a really class outfit desperate to continue their domination of the British game (but who, in fairness I admit, perhaps believed their own publicity once they were well in front). But, in the end somehow we came through. Old men did it all again and rolled back the years and young heroes became legends in a very special game and we all simply couldn’t believe it. How often has such a scenario seen the side we had fought to get back close to just got the final heartbreaker, how often have we just failed to get that final score and how often have we thrown it away in the last seconds. Many times, I hear you say, but not this time guys… we did em!!!!
 
So, enjoy the afterglow of the next four or so days and the Rovers fans trying to explain it away, then with two days to go to the next hit up we’ll all start panicking again!!! But make no mistake about it, this was a very, very special moment in out supporting lives and one we should never forget. I don’t know about it being the hope that kills you but at times like this, I think it’s the obsession and love that does that!! At least I still know the old tickers OK!! What a Brilliant win!!!

P.S. Good piece by Dan https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/hull-fc-rise-new-found-10027775

If anyone is interested, here is a link to the full game on YouTube, useful for people who have no access to BBC iPlayer 

https://youtu.be/hNYenvrizBU?si=5kavciVj6z9CZc0C

If anyone is interested, here is a link to the full game on YouTube, useful for people who have no access to BBC iPlayer 

https://youtu.be/hNYenvrizBU?si=5kavciVj6z9CZc0C