Occasionally on my travels around west Cumbria I’m referred to as Peter – and I know right away that person is a Workington Town fan!
It all started of course when Peter Walsh was coaching Town and a number of times we were asked if we were related. We often used to joke – cousins.
There was more confusion when both of us were in the company of local quizmaster Jimmy Walsh and then same question was posed. In the end we used to add the names of Courtney Walsh and Ruby Walsh as other cousins who were coking to as family reunion!
Peter had put together one of the best Town teams in my time as local sports scribe with the likes of Jimmy Pickering, Mark Mulligan, Phil McKenzie and more.
In 1994 Town had reached the Premiership final against London Crusaders after securing their return to the game’s top flight from the Second Division.
It was a return visit to Old Trafford after being beaten 20-16 by Featherstone in the previous year’s final and they made no mistake, beating the Crusaders 30-22.
My mate Neil Robinson, a former Workington policeman who had left to forge a long and successful career in the Met, had linked up with the London club as secretary and although proud as punch about the Crusaders’ achievements, was privately looking for a Town win.
If Town had their overseas stars in Pickering, Mulligan, McKenzie and Brad Hepi they also had a number of home-grown players who contributed bucketfuls to the success of that side.
Men like Martin Oglanby (later a joint coach of the club), Colin Armstrong, Paul Penrice and Peter Riley were every inch and ounce West Cumbrian.
It was the final season as the Crusaders as they morphed into the Broncos the following season and they had looked beaten when Town led 24-6 at the break.
Ged Byrne, who had an outstanding game for Town, had put Town in front and then he sent in Tony Kay for the second.
Stuart Cocker, Des Drummond and Mulligan scored further first-half tries to put clear blue water between the two teams.
Town’s only try in the second-half, again made by Byrne, was scored by Cocker and despite South African winger Mark Johnson grabbing a hat-trick the Cumbrians won with enough in hand.
Johnson managed 43 tries that season and actually joined Town for the 1995/96 season, the last before summer rugby.
Just for the record, and to settle any arguments, the Town team that day was: Mulligan; Drummond, Kay (Byrne, 71), Burns, Cocker; Kitchin, Marwood; Pickering (Riley, 46), McKenzie, Armstrong (Pickering, 60), Hepi, Oglanby, Byrne (Penrice, 50).
Happy days for Town and their fans – when the trip to Old Trafford prompted one wag to put up a message just outside Workington declaring “Last one out knock the lights off.”
