Celtic Rooster

Shame that. I can drive to Leigh in 15 minutes and usually get to 2 or 3 matches a season. I have sometimes called in there and bought a programme while on my way to a different game. I expect I will still be able to get programmes when I visit Leigh East and Leigh Miners but the professional club in the town are now off my visiting list.

It was a close game until the sin bin, and I saw no reason why there had to be a sin bin. Certainly not from just one side. However, it is not the fault of the officials that Salford completely gave up defending down the middle after that sin bin. If I can remember rightly I think Leeds only scored one converted try and a penalty when Salford were down to 12. I am gutted that Salford collapsed the way they did because I was looking forward to telling everybody that James Child was the difference for Leeds. Leeds were consistently off side but rarely punished and the game was a forward pass - a - thon. It's been well documented elsewhere that I am not a Super League fan but this season I decided to "bite the bullet" and throw my allegiance behind my home City club - Salford, and go to games with my son. However, during the first half I found myself thinking "There is no way I can spend a whole season watching this standard of match officiating". I will stick with it for now but I might have to re-think my priorities. I am not a loyal supporter - I go where I feel I am being entertained. I so hope that Salford do well this season but I hope I never see James Child again.

If I can get to any of those games I will be at Thatto Heath .v. Mayfield. Ive seen a few amateur sides beat pro opposition and I would love it to happen again but I can't see it this year from those fixtures.

I probably will, when they play Salford City Roosters. Batley Boys, Drighlington and Hensingham are the only NCL grounds I have never been to.

I have a Aberavon Fighting Irish players shirt. Can't think what number is on it at the moment. There won't be many of them still knocking around.

Swinton produce an excellent programme and I have paid a subscription to them for every home programme this season. I am gutted about Batley because I have always had a soft spot for the club and usually drive over 2 or 3 times each season. I won't be going now. Widnes are off my visiting list now as well.

I watch the sport because I still can't find a better sporting product, even though it is nowhere near the sport that I fell in love with in the 70's and through 80's and 90's. I wish I could find something better so that I could move on and get away from the constant changing of the laws every season, the referee's being the stars of the show, the greed of the Super League clubs and the RFL being hell bent on trying to convince people that we are a bigger sport than we are. That last comment, by the way, is not a dig at expansion. I doubt if there are many, if any, from the 3 northern counties that have visited more expansion grounds than I have. Queue the dinosaur jibes. It's like water off a ducks back.

Years ago I gave away my football programme collection and have since found out that it was worth a fortune. There are loads of football programme dealers around the Country and people from all over the world buy physical programmes. Just because somebody downloaded some doesn't mean they would not have bought physical programmes. My preference is to buy and read a programme at the game. If clubs don't want to produce physical programmes that's fine by me. I understand that the game is skint, but I just want somebody to let me know so that I don't waste my time going to their ground. I expect that a day will come when no RL clubs produce physical programmes. I'm too old to care. I just open a box and pick a handful of programmes out and re-live the memories.

I went to Sheffield .v. Swinton and got a programme. It was perfectly adequate. Where was this cur price admission - they charged me £17. Regarding the number of programmes printed. I have a lot of experience in organising programmes at amateur level and in my experience the number of programmes produced does not make a lot of difference to the cost. The cost is in the setting up of the programme and a lot depends on how many different colours are used.

I was at the game. I have seen plenty of broken legs RL games over the years and never before seen anybody wait for more than 30 minutes for an ambulance. Its not the fault of Sheffield Eagles or the RFL, even though I like to blame them for everything. It's the fault of the government for all the cuts in public services over the years. So glad that I am not younger than 63. I am so grateful that I was young when I was young. I know some of Will's family - good people, and I wish him a speedy recovery. Some of the comments on here are heartless. I can understand Swinton deciding Well, he is on the bus now we might as well get him home. What difference would another hour make after all that time? Just a point that I don't think has been mentioned, and I am not saying this is the case at this incident but, there are people in the medical profession who don't treat Rugby (of either code) injuries as priority because they see it as self inflicted. I have been to hospital with a few amateur players over the years and have heard the comment more than once that "it's your own fault for playing that bloody stupid game". I particularly remember one occasion with a player from Irlam Hornets at a Leigh hospital. He had a really severe facial cut and they told him they would put a couple of extra stitches just because he was a rugby player. Of course, that was a very long time ago in the days when political correctness wasn't out of control and nobody would have thought of suing the NHS.

Great to see the forum fans are making London favourites again. Yes London have won the last 2 meetings against and Salford and by the law of averages it is now Salford's turn by 14 points. Top of the table by Sunday night - exactly.

Thanks for that info Mark.

Are Leigh still producing a physical programme to buy at the game? I didn't see a programme last time I went but I usually get there a couple of times each season as they are quite local. I won't bother this year if I can't buy a souvenier to show I went to the game and to add to my collection.

I don't know about SL but in the amateur game, where teams have the same points scoring difference the team that has scored more goes above. Salford are rightly at the top of the table and I have not seen any table with Warrington at the top. Must depend where you live and who reports it? Wigan will finish in the top 4 and I still would not bet against them winning it again.

I went to the game yesterday, and great support from Swinton fans I have to say. I used to drive over to Sheffield often when they played Friday nights and I didn't work nights. I have seen them play at 3 different grounds since I first went in 1984. Yesterday came as a real shock to me. I am amazed that the RFL allow championship RL there. I want to see RL flourish in Sheffield and I wish Eagles all the best but that ground is just not up to standards. I understand that Eagles didn't really have much choice and I am glad to see that this situation is only temporary (I didn't know that). The only stand was a canvass shelter with about 75 seats in it and the toilet facilities were 7 portaloo's. I went back to the pub with about 20 minutes to go because I was freezing and there was nowhere to get out of the elements. There were queue's for food and drink but that is usually the case at most grounds and I have to say the food was worth waiting for. Well done to Eagles for producing a decent match programme as well. If this game had been played further into the Summer I don't think there would be as many people complaining so the weather played its part in making it a truly forgettable experience.

Any news on Sheffield .v. Swinton?

That's a fair point Meast and I am well aware of Huddersfields injury problems but Salford rarely get credit either so Salford fans are making the most of this. I don't have any particular beef with Huddersfield or their fans, and I have been over there many times since the early 70's watching several different teams but, right from the start last night, I have never seen a set of fans so lacking in enthusiasm. I felt sorry for the announcer who was doing his best to drum up support. Best wishes for the rest of the season.

Yes it was nice to see my son so happy and excited, and Salford scored some excellent tries but they are going to lose games for the lack of an accomplished goal kicker. Missed 5 tonight. Glad I saw the last try even though I felt sorry for the Huddersfield defender. Contender for what happens next on Q of S. Great support from the travelling Salford fans tonight but my God, how are the Huddersfield players expected to get themselves up for a game playing in front of such a unenthusiastic crowd? Got to be honest I think both teams will lose more games this season than they win, but I would dearly love Salford to prove me wrong. Lets just enjoy it while we can. Looking forward to Swinton at Sheffield Eagles on Sunday now.

I wish people would stop saying Rugby League when they mean Super League. This would save me time looking at threads that I don't really want to read.

Salford by 10. I will be there to witness it.

Rochdale Hornets didn't produce a printed programme at the last game I went to. Does anybody know if they are producing one this season? It used to be a monthly edition. Great to hear Oldham are staying with tradition. I like to get to as many grounds as I can every season but, I won't go if I know there is no programme. Halifax programme was a pull out from the local paper last season but that is acceptable to me.

Thank you but I am a complete Luddite and would have no idea how to print the programme off and I don't have a colour printer. I don't have a kindle and have no idea what WhatsApp is and my mobile phone is so old it's "clockwork"! I hate modern life, but that's off topic. Just last night I opened a box at random out of my 9,000 RL progs and took a handful out to see what I would come to. If I pick a programme up and it's a game I went to, all the memories come flooding back. Like Groundhopper I like to make a day of it to. I like to go by train when I can and stay later - visit a few pubs. The programme I came across last night was Hull KR .v. Leigh in the John Player trophy in the early 80's. I will never forget it because it was played on a Saturday and I worked Friday night. Took me an hour to walk home from work (No car back then) so I just got changed and went to catch the 10.10am train from Manchester. Had a few drinks and walked to the old ground. I left well before the end because I was so tired I was falling asleep standing up!

Thank you so much. I am trying to get on the Swinton supporters bus but it's full. They are looking to run a second bus if they can get numbers to make it viable.

I have 46 Crosfields programmes groundhopper, going back to 1989 and I went twice last season. Waterhead was the only NCL ground where I didn't get a programme last season. I have been let down at Leigh, St. Helens, Oxford, North Wales, South Wales, York, Keighley, Bradford and Swinton in the past, although Swinton do a brilliant programme normally and I have just taken out a subscription for the season. They did not do one for a challenge cup tie that I went to. North Wales also produce a decent programme but were let down by the printer on a couple of occasions. Halifax is just a pull out from the local newspaper but that is acceptable to me. I'm satisfied if I get a team sheet but some don't even do that. Great idea Manxmanc. I will have a look at that. Anybody confirm if there will be a prog at Sheffield .v. Swinton on Sunday? I was wrongly informed that they did not have them last season. Apparently it was a decent programme too. I have 89 Sheffield Eagles programmes including the very first .v. Rochdale Hornets in 1984. I used to drive over there often when they played Friday nights.

Thanks groundhopper - that just about covers it. It would be helpful if fans of clubs could let me know on here if their teams are producing match day progs to buy at the ground this season or not? That would save me making unnecessary journeys. There will be a full list of NCL fixtures on the Saturday that Salford go to Hull KR and I much prefer amateur RL anyhow.