The last time Castleford won the Challenge Cup was 1986 - a 15-14 victory against Hull KR. To put this in perspective, Margaret Thatcher was still clinging onto power, the footballing world was gearing up for Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" goal at that year's World Cup and the Oprah Winfrey show made its debut in that September. 32 years have passed since then, but Castleford have only visited Wembley twice in that period - in 1992 and 2014 - and on both occasions came off second best. The spirit of the '86 side was phenomenal and the team will go down forever in Castleford history.
The build-up
Castleford had hammered Hunslet in the first round of the Challenge Cup 6-60, trounced Barrow in the second 6-30 and overcame a stubborn Wigan side 2-10 in the third round. An 18-7 victory over Oldham in the semi-final set up a mouthwatering clash with Hull KR - whom had just beaten Leeds in a replay 17-0. The trip to Wembley was made by so many of those in Castleford that the phrase "last one out turn the lights off" was adopted by those making the long journey down to London. Fans were expectant that Malcolm Reilly's side could bring the cup home for the first time in 16 years.
The match
There was nothing to separate the two sides early in the first-half and it took some wonderful play from Castleford to break the deadlock.
Blockbusting Great Britain forward Kevin Ward ran the ball in hard in his customary style towards the Hull KR defence. Ward bounced off one defender and took another two with him before unloading the ball to the supporting Tony Marchant just before the half-way line. The pacy centre outstripped the Rovers defence, selling an outrageous dummy with David Plange on his outside which fooled Hull KR's covering defence.
It was one of the greatest tries to have ever been scored at Wembley and one which Marchant will always be hailed for. Second-rower Martin Ketteridge added the extras to make it 6-0. The minutes flew by and it wasn't until the half-hour mark when Hull KR scored their first points of the afternoon, courtesy of a John Dorahy penalty goal.
Bob Beardmore added a drop-goal just before half-time to make it 7-2 - a one-pointer which would effectively seal the game for Castleford.
Beardmore's drop-goal looked like being the last point of the half, but a wayward pass by a Castleford forward was intercepted by Andy Kelly who offloaded superbly to the onrushing Gary Prohm - whom was playing his last game in a red-and-white shirt - to make it 7-6 with Dorahy missing the conversion.
Second-half started perfectly
If Castleford began the first-half well, they started the second even better. A delicate little chip through by the influential Bob Beardmore caught the KR defence napping and he was able to ground the ball - somewhat dubiously - to extend Castleford's lead.
Ketteridge's missed conversion meant Castleford were now five points in front at 11-6.
Castleford were now firmly on top and strengthened their grip on the game when John Joyner made an excellent break from a scrum. The rangy stand-off dummied one man and held off another before offloading one-handed to the diminutive Jamie Sandy. The 5 ft 4 winger had the strength and the speed to hold off three defenders and dot down over the whitewash from twenty metres out despite being the beneficiary of a swinging arm from the KR full-back George Fairbairn whilst running over the line. Ketteridge missed the conversion once more - though this one was from the touchline.
At 15-6, Castleford were in complete control, yet a try not long after - again by Gary Prohm - brought KR back to within five points.
By now Castleford were defending for their lives and it was almost heartbreak when substitute John Lydiat crashed over with just minutes to play at the end of the game. However, Dorahy once more missed the conversion attempt, leaving the scores at 15-14 to Castleford. Castleford were able to hang on and when referee Robin Whitfield called time, the players could not hold in their joy. The quote "they'll be dancing in John Joyner's fish and chip shop tonight" from commentator Ray French summed up the inclusiveness of the town: the players and fans were all one and that togetherness brought them home.
It was a famous victory for the underdogs and one which etched the players' names into Castleford folklore. Let's hope that one year, that type of resilience and determination can once again resurface and Castleford get their hands on the trophy that has evaded them for over three decades.
