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Greatest Fev 13


chris g

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I've been shuffling off to Fev for 45 years.  My Dad dragged me round to the changing  rooms after the game years ago  to get the signatures of Charlie Stone, Jimmy Thompson, Keith Bridges, and Vince Farrar , but at that age  I was probably more interested in the bottle of pop and the bag of crisps he bought me before the game.  In terms of appreciating players after that my favourite  starting thirteen would be  

1) Chris Bibb

2)Luke Briscoe

3)John Gilbert

4) Steve Evans

5) P. Newlove

6) Steadman

7) D. Fox

8. K. Harrison

9} Clarke. 

10) Gibbins

11) P.Smith

12)D. Hobbs

13)B. Tuuta

Thats mine whats yours ? 

 

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Those of us over a certain age are frantically taking away 45 years from 2019 to work out if you ever saw Steve Nash (would be close as he left us for Salford in 1975). Fox was a Fev legend, but Nash was something else. But it sounds like at that time you weren't quite tuned in to what was going on on the field, so fair enough. And Foxy was very, very good too.

Thompson, Bridges, Farrar over Harrison, Clark, Gibbins for me. Maybe Charlie Stone over Hobbs but very different players so hard to compare. I'd want Newlove at centre not wing, but can see why you've done it to include Evans and Gilbert. Otherwise I wouldn't disagree with much.

 

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I agree Steve Nash was the best. I go back to 1960 and my team for what it is worth is :-

1. Cyril Kellett

2. Vaughn Thomas

3. Kenny Greatorex

4. Paul Newlove

5. Gary Jordan

6. John Newlove - such a classy stand off

7. Steve Nash

8. Mal Dixon

9. Milan Kosanovic - when scrums were scrums

10. Stuart Dickens

11. Jimmy Thomson

12. Terry Clawson

13. Tommy Smales

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2 hours ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

Those of us over a certain age are frantically taking away 45 years from 2019 to work out if you ever saw Steve Nash (would be close as he left us for Salford in 1975). Fox was a Fev legend, but Nash was something else. But it sounds like at that time you weren't quite tuned in to what was going on on the field, so fair enough. And Foxy was very, very good too.

Thompson, Bridges, Farrar over Harrison, Clark, Gibbins for me. Maybe Charlie Stone over Hobbs but very different players so hard to compare. I'd want Newlove at centre not wing, but can see why you've done it to include Evans and Gilbert. Otherwise I wouldn't disagree with much.

 

If D. Fox was Don, then he was also something else, much more than a legend. The fact he only had one GB cap was an injustice at a time when selection committees made up of directors from the richer clubs picked the team rather than the coach. But you would have to be well over 60 to remember him. Another player that never gets mentioned in these types of thread is Terry Clawson, who was one of the games greats but although he won caps with Rovers he achieved far more away from Featherstone.

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28 minutes ago, Steve Slater said:

If D. Fox was Don, then he was also something else, much more than a legend. The fact he only had one GB cap was an injustice at a time when selection committees made up of directors from the richer clubs picked the team rather than the coach. But you would have to be well over 60 to remember him. Another player that never gets mentioned in these types of thread is Terry Clawson, who was one of the games greats but although he won caps with Rovers he achieved far more away from Featherstone.

I was assuming TPH was referring to Deryck Fox.I only remember Don at Batley in his later years.He was some player even then.I would have loved to have seen him play regularly in his prime.How would he compare to Deryck and Steve Nash

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Exactly a month ago today over on the Featherstone Rovers Heritage Society facebook page we were celebrating the 60th anniversary of  Rovers beating the Australian touring side, and also mentioning the fact that they repeated the achievement 4 years later in October 1963.

As major championships such as Olympics, international tours, etc., normally come around every four years I would like to pick a combined side from that four year period from 1959 to 1963 that I feel could beat any other bar maybe one from the 1973 to 1977 period.

Here is my selection:-

1. J. Fennell

2. G.Waterworth

3. K.  Greatorex

4. G. Cooper

5. G. Jordan

6. J. Mullaney

7. C. Dooler

8. L. Hammill

9. W. Fawley

10. M. Dixon

11. C. Lambert

12. T. Clawson

13. D. Fox 

The most difficult choices for me were between Gary Waterworth and Cyril Woolford on the wing and between Joe Mullaney and Ivor Lingard at stand-off, but Ivor didn't stay long enough, although he was probably rated above Hardisty at the time. I didn't start watching Rovers until 1960 so didn't see enough of Woolford although my friend Ron Bailey considers him Rovers' greatest ever winger. I picked Don Fox at 13 for two reasons, firstly because that's where he played when he destroyed the Aussies when he represented GB, and also because it would be difficult to leave Carl Dooler out of any side. 

Would anyone like to pick their best side from the 1973 to 1977 period?

 

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3 minutes ago, gittinsfan said:

I was assuming TPH was referring to Deryck Fox.I only remember Don at Batley in his later years.He was some player even then.I would have loved to have seen him play regularly in his prime.How would he compare to Deryck and Steve Nash

I know full well he was referring to Deryck Fox, but I feel it is an insult to the great Don to just put D.Fox when two of Fev's greatest ever players come under that name. Both were great players but had their rivals, whereas Nashy was the best in the world in his prime so would always get my vote.

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I would also like to remember Freddie Miller and John Newlove. Freddie would run riot with his kicking ability and John's swerving sidestep was a thing to remember. Don Fox was one of my favourites. I had the honour of playing against him when he played for Sharlston under 18's. 

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10 hours ago, Steve Slater said:

I know full well he was referring to Deryck Fox, but I feel it is an insult to the great Don to just put D.Fox when two of Fev's greatest ever players come under that name.

Yep, I should have done as the original poster did and made clear when I started watching Rovers (1st game 1969 I think). I do remember his name being mentioned in hushed tones by older spectators when I first started going to Post Office Road as a young boy.

 

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Steve my team for the 1973-77 period would be H.Box, Mick Smith, John Gilbert ,S Quinn,Paul Coventry,John Newlove,Steve Nash- Forwards pick themselves Jimmy Thompson John Bridges,Vince Farrar,Peter Smith ,Richard Stone ,Keith Bell.   Mick Gibbins back up forward and i pondered on Mel Mason at stand off and Newlove in the centre but Mason did not stay very long with us before departing to Barrow.

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2 hours ago, sentoffagain2 said:

Steve my team for the 1973-77 period would be H.Box, Mick Smith, John Gilbert ,S Quinn,Paul Coventry,John Newlove,Steve Nash- Forwards pick themselves Jimmy Thompson John Bridges,Vince Farrar,Peter Smith ,Richard Stone ,Keith Bell.   Mick Gibbins back up forward and i pondered on Mel Mason at stand off and Newlove in the centre but Mason did not stay very long with us before departing to Barrow.

One name I didn't mention was Eric Batten. To lead a team of local lads and a few cast offs to Wembley was a great achievement. He was also a great player. I remember him playing for us and hjs earlier career. The jumping wingman. He didn't go round he went over.

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3 hours ago, sentoffagain2 said:

Steve my team for the 1973-77 period would be H.Box, Mick Smith, John Gilbert ,S Quinn,Paul Coventry,John Newlove,Steve Nash- Forwards pick themselves Jimmy Thompson John Bridges,Vince Farrar,Peter Smith ,Richard Stone ,Keith Bell.   Mick Gibbins back up forward and i pondered on Mel Mason at stand off and Newlove in the centre but Mason did not stay very long with us before departing to Barrow.

Mel Mason went to Leeds from Featherstone. He won the Harry Sunderland MOM for Leeds against St Helens in a Championship Final.

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My team from when I  started watching in 1965 would be:

1 Chris Bibb

2 Vaughan Thomas

3 Steve Quinn 

4 Paul Newlove

5 Gary Jordan

6 Steve Evans

7 Steve Nash

8 Jimmy Thompson 

9 Keith Bridges

10 Vince Farrar

11 Terry Clawson

12 David Hobbs

13 Don Fox

Subs: Graham Steadman, John Newlove, Peter Smith and Brendan Tuuta.

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19 hours ago, Steve Slater said:

I know full well he was referring to Deryck Fox, but I feel it is an insult to the great Don to just put D.Fox when two of Fev's greatest ever players come under that name. Both were great players but had their rivals, whereas Nashy was the best in the world in his prime so would always get my vote.

I was referring to Deryck, Don was too early for me. Just a little bit of fun during the quietest time of the year.

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Whilst fishing ? today I was thinking about Rovers and fondly remember a midweek match under the lights at POR against Leeds who had all the stars including Schoey and Hanley ( trying to run the game with the ref ) and we beat them with a try in the last minute under the sticks at the railway end by I think Neil Roebuck. Think we won a scrum against the head in the buildup.Can anyone remember,  for me it was a stunning win.

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19 hours ago, gittinsfan said:

I was assuming TPH was referring to Deryck Fox.I only remember Don at Batley in his later years.He was some player even then.I would have loved to have seen him play regularly in his prime.How would he compare to Deryck and Steve Nash

Saw them all. Don was different because of two things. His size and his very quick thinking. He had the bulk to break from the scrum and his quick thinking often opened the opposition defence, all great players but Don had that extra.

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1 hour ago, Blue Pike said:

Been watching them since 1972. The players for me with the wow factor were Paul Newlove , Derick Fox , David Hobbs , Steve Evans and a player not mentioned John Gilbert. Through the years we sold our star players to survive. 

John Gilbert was in my original thirteen ?

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20 minutes ago, chris g said:

John Gilbert was in my original thirteen ?

Sorry must have missed it. He was the star player through the 83 Cup games and got professionaly fouled/ taken out in the final.Stand out moment for me running around six tacklers to score against Leeds in the Challenge cup. ?

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On 01/12/2019 at 16:31, Blue Pike said:

Whilst fishing ? today I was thinking about Rovers and fondly remember a midweek match under the lights at POR against Leeds who had all the stars including Schoey and Hanley ( trying to run the game with the ref ) and we beat them with a try in the last minute under the sticks at the railway end by I think Neil Roebuck. Think we won a scrum against the head in the buildup.Can anyone remember,  for me it was a stunning win.

I was talking to Neil about this very game only a few weeks ago!

 

"Out of the way,son. Where's my medal?" Alex Murphy's immortal words as David Hobbs scores his 2nd try in the '83 Cup Final!

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