Explore the History and Heritage of Featherstone Rovers
Season 1975/76
| Played | Won | Drew | Lost | F | A | League | League Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 39 | 26 | 2 | 11 | 674 | 446 | First Division | 2nd of 16 clubs |
Thrashing a good Leeds side in the 3rd round of the Challenge Cup
| Leading Try Scorer | Leading Goal Kicker | |
|---|---|---|
| John Newlove 19 | Harold Box 48 |
| Chairman | Club Captain | |
|---|---|---|
| Charlie Raybould | Vince Farrar |
A great season apart from winning anything!! At one point Rovers were favourites to do a league and cup double, unfortunately Widnes overturned a 9 point deficit in the Challenge Cup semi-final, and home defeats by Hull KR and Wakefield towards the end of the season cost Rovers the title. Steve Nash had gone to Salford for a record £15,000 but Phil Butler and recording signing Peter Banner adequately filled that gap. John Newlove was sensational in the stand-off role and topped the try scoring. Jimmy Thompson moved up to prop, Steve Quinn was signed in exchange for Barry Hollis, both astute moves. These changes coupled with the general strength of the playing squad meant Rovers were a formidable outfit.
It wasn’t all plain sailing, coach Keith Goulding unexpectedly resigned mid-season because he thought the committee wasn’t properly backing him in disciplinary matters. Tommy Smales took over as coach at short notice. Gates remained stubbornly low despite the quality of the team and the regular defeats handed out to St Helens, Wigan, Warrington, Leeds etc at Post Office Road. Despite the sale of Nash the financial situation remained challenging.
Dream Team
| Full Back | ||||||
| Harold Box | ||||||
| Winger | Centre | Centre | Winger | |||
| Clive Hill | Paul Coventry | Neil Tuffs | Ken Kellett | |||
| Stand Off | Scrum Half | |||||
| John Newlove | Peter Banner | |||||
| Prop | Hooker | Prop | ||||
| Jimmy Thompson | Keith Bridges | Vince Farrar | ||||
| Second Row | Second Row | |||||
| Peter Smith | Charlie Sone | |||||
| Loose Forward | ||||||
| Keith Bell | ||||||
Matches
| Date | Venue | Competition | Opponents | Result | Points For | Points Against | Match Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 August 1975 | Post Office Road | Division One | Bradford Northern | W | 23 | 17 | View |
| 22 August 1975 | Knowsley Road | Division One | St Helens | L | 3 | 17 | View |
| 30 August 1975 | Fartown | Yorkshire Cup | Huddersfield | W | 19 | 7 | View |
| 07 September 1975 | Post Office Road | Division One | Oldham | W | 27 | 5 | View |
| 14 September 1975 | Post Office Road | Yorkshire Cup | Castleford | W | 8 | 5 | View |
| 21 September 1975 | Odsal | Division One | Bradford Northern | L | 13 | 24 | View |
| 23 September 1975 | Craven Park Hull | Yorkshire Cup | Hull Kingston Rovers | L | 16 | 19 | View |
| 28 September 1975 | Hilton Park | John Player Trophy | Leigh | L | 5 | 12 | View |
| 05 October 1975 | Post Office Road | Division One | St Helens | W | 29 | 15 | View |
| 12 October 1975 | Post Office Road | Division One | Widnes | W | 21 | 16 | View |
| 19 October 1975 | Station Road | Division One | Swinton | W | 29 | 7 | View |
| 26 October 1975 | Post Office Road | Division One | Warrington | W | 14 | 7 | View |
| 16 November 1975 | Crown Flatt | Division One | Dewsbury | W | 24 | 5 | View |
| 28 November 1975 | The Willows | Division One | Salford | L | 7 | 13 | View |
| 13 December 1975 | Headingley | Division One | Leeds | W | 19 | 9 | View |
| 21 December 1975 | Fartown | Division One | Huddersfield | W | 22 | 8 | View |
| 26 December 1975 | Post Office Road | Division One | Castleford | D | 18 | 18 | View |
| 28 December 1975 | Naughton Park | Division One | Widnes | W | 22 | 17 | View |
| 01 January 1976 | Belle Vue | Division One | Wakefield Trinity | L | 5 | 13 | View |
| 04 January 1976 | Post Office Road | Division One | Keighley | W | 24 | 7 | View |
| 11 January 1976 | Post Office Road | Division One | Leeds | L | 7 | 12 | View |
| 18 January 1976 | Wilderspool | Division One | Warrington | W | 15 | 5 | View |
| 25 January 1976 | Post Office Road | Division One | Huddersfield | W | 15 | 6 | View |
| 07 February 1976 | Post Office Road | Division One | Dewsbury | W | 28 | 13 | View |
| 15 February 1976 | Post Office Road | Challenge Cup | Wakefield Trinity | W | 23 | 9 | View |
| 18 February 1976 | Craven Park Hull | Division One | Hull Kingston Rovers | W | 11 | 4 | View |
| 22 February 1976 | Lawkholme Lane | Division One | Keighley | W | 18 | 15 | View |
| 29 February 1976 | Post Office Road | Challenge Cup | Hull Kingston Rovers | W | 25 | 10 | View |
| 07 March 1976 | Post Office Road | Division One | Swinton | W | 27 | 9 | View |
| 14 March 1976 | Post Office Road | Challenge Cup | Leeds | W | 33 | 7 | View |
| 17 March 1976 | Central Park | Division One | Wigan | D | 9 | 9 | View |
| 21 March 1976 | Post Office Road | Division One | Salford | W | 21 | 6 | View |
| 27 March 1976 | Station Road | Challenge Cup | Widnes | L | 9 | 15 | View |
| 04 April 1976 | Watersheddings | Division One | Oldham | W | 21 | 5 | View |
| 16 April 1976 | Post Office Road | Division One | Wakefield Trinity | L | 7 | 19 | View |
| 19 April 1976 | Wheldon Road | Division One | Castleford | W | 18 | 15 | View |
| 21 April 1976 | Post Office Road | Division One | Hull Kingston Rovers | L | 9 | 17 | View |
| 25 April 1976 | Post Office Road | Division One | Wigan | W | 20 | 15 | View |
| 02 May 1976 | Post Office Road | Play-off | Wakefield Trinity | L | 10 | 14 | View |