Explore the History and Heritage of Featherstone Rovers
Season 1997
| Played | Won | Drew | Lost | F | A | League | League Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | 16 | 1 | 16 | 754 | 663 | Division One Championship | 7th of 11 clubs |
Spoiling Hull’s promotion party by defeating them 18-4 in front of the TV cameras at the Boulevard on 28 June 1997
| Leading Try Scorer | Leading Goal Kicker | |
|---|---|---|
| Danny Baker 17 | Deryck Fox 41+5dg |
| Chairman | Club Captain | |
|---|---|---|
| Steve Wagner | Steve Molloy |
Rovers were expected to be a strong challenger for promotion but were desperately disappointing and ended up in a relegation struggle. Thankfully this was avoided but the poor finishing position of 7th cost Rovers £200,000 in News Corporation monies compared to what had been budgeted. Coach David Ward resigned after Rovers won only one of their first seven games and Australian Steve Simms took over. It took him a while to turn things around, and the introduction of youngsters Karl Pratt and Neil Lowe was one factor in this, and the league season finished with 4 straight victories. There were some bright spots notably beating Hull at the Boulevard to spoil their promotion party but these were few and far between. In the Challenge Cup (now taking place early season), Rovers made it to a quarter-final tie with Leeds and performed creditably but lost 32-12. Danny Baker scored two great tries in this game and finished as top try scorer.
The new all seater RJB family stand officially opened on 28th March 1997 with a game against Wakefield. Funding had been provided by a Sports Council grant and by a loan from club sponsors RJB Mining.
Dream Team
| Full Back | ||||||
| Jon Strange | ||||||
| Winger | Centre | Centre | Winger | |||
| Eddie Rombo | Shaun Irwin | Darren Hughes | Paul Gleadhill | |||
| Stand Off | Scrum Half | |||||
| Neil Summers | Paddy Handley | |||||
| Prop | Hooker | Prop | ||||
| Steve Molloy | Richard Chapman | Roy Powell | ||||
| Second Row | Second Row | |||||
| Gary H Price | Danny Baker | |||||
| Loose Forward | ||||||
| Richard Slater | ||||||
Matches
| Date | Venue | Competition | Opponents | Result | Points For | Points Against | Match Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 January 1997 | Post Office Road | Challenge Cup | Moldgreen | W | 48 | 14 | View |
| 09 February 1997 | Post Office Road | Challenge Cup | Widnes Vikings | W | 14 | 12 | View |
| 23 February 1997 | Brunton Park | Challenge Cup | Carlisle Border Raiders | W | 32 | 20 | View |
| 02 March 1997 | Post Office Road | Division One Championship | Hull Kingston Rovers | L | 22 | 36 | View |
| 09 March 1997 | Headingley | Challenge Cup | Leeds Rhinos | L | 12 | 32 | View |
| 12 March 1997 | Recreation Ground | Division One Championship | Whitehaven Warriors | L | 4 | 13 | View |
| 16 March 1997 | Post Office Road | Division One Championship | Swinton Lions | W | 32 | 26 | View |
| 21 March 1997 | Crown Flatt Owl Lane | Division One Championship | Dewsbury Rams | L | 16 | 17 | View |
| 28 March 1997 | Post Office Road | Division One Championship | Wakefield Trinity | D | 15 | 15 | View |
| 06 April 1997 | McAlpine Stadium | Division One Championship | Huddersfield Giants | L | 12 | 18 | View |
| 13 April 1997 | Post Office Road | Division One Championship | Hull | L | 12 | 26 | View |
| 20 April 1997 | Derwent Park | Division One Championship | Workington Town | W | 24 | 20 | View |
| 27 April 1997 | Post Office Road | Division One Championship | Widnes Vikings | W | 42 | 10 | View |
| 11 May 1997 | Lawkholme Lane | Division One Championship | Keighley Cougars | L | 30 | 34 | View |
| 18 May 1997 | Gigg Lane, Bury FC | Division One Championship | Swinton Lions | L | 28 | 29 | View |
| 23 May 1997 | Post Office Road | Division One Championship | Whitehaven Warriors | L | 12 | 15 | View |
| 26 May 1997 | New Craven Park | Division One Championship | Hull Kingston Rovers | W | 27 | 10 | View |
| 01 June 1997 | Post Office Road | Division One Championship | Dewsbury Rams | L | 10 | 29 | View |
| 08 June 1997 | Belle Vue | Division One Championship | Wakefield Trinity | L | 6 | 24 | View |
| 22 June 1997 | Post Office Road | Division One Championship | Huddersfield Giants | L | 16 | 39 | View |
| 28 June 1997 | The Boulevard | Division One Championship | Hull | W | 18 | 4 | View |
| 06 July 1997 | Post Office Road | Division One Championship | Workington Town | W | 36 | 2 | View |
| 13 July 1997 | Naughton Park | Division One Championship | Widnes Vikings | W | 30 | 14 | View |
| 20 July 1997 | Post Office Road | Division One Championship | Keighley Cougars | W | 16 | 14 | View |
| 27 July 1997 | Ryedale Stadium, Huntingdon | Divisional Play-off | York Wasps | W | 40 | 8 | View |
| 30 July 1997 | Belle Vue | Divisional Play-off | Wakefield Trinity | L | 22 | 31 | View |
| 03 August 1997 | Post Office Road | Divisional Play-off | Hull | W | 14 | 12 | View |
| 13 August 1997 | Post Office Road | Divisional Play-off | Hull Kingston Rovers | L | 20 | 30 | View |
| 17 August 1997 | Post Office Road | Divisional Play-off | York Wasps | W | 70 | 12 | View |
| 21 August 1997 | Post Office Road | Divisional Play-off | Wakefield Trinity | W | 18 | 14 | View |
| 25 August 1997 | The Boulevard | Divisional Play-off | Hull | L | 24 | 46 | View |
| 07 September 1997 | New Craven Park | Divisional Play-off | Hull Kingston Rovers | W | 20 | 0 | View |
| 14 September 1997 | McAlpine Stadium | Divisional Play-off | Huddersfield Giants | L | 12 | 37 | View |