Split loyalties for Pendlebury as old club faces hometown team

It is a difficult question given his love of both clubs but John Pendlebury realises he has to cede to his roots.

Who does he want to see prosper when Halifax tackle Leigh in the Challenge Cup fifth round on Sunday?

“I had two fantastic years at Halifax and will be forever grateful for the opportunity the club gave me,” he told the Yorkshire Post.

“And from a coaching point of view, I had three great years there too and still have some real friends in Halifax.

“But I’m a Leigh lad so I’ll have to support them. I hope they understand.”

Halifax fans certainly will not hold it against their former loose forward, if only for his exploits on one memorable May afternoon at Wembley a quarter of a century ago.

On paper, Pendlebury’s drop goal looks like the decisive moment in the surprise 19-18 triumph over St Helens.

But his last-gasp tackle on Mark Elia just as the Saints centre dived over was even more crucial, punching the ball clear right at the critical moment.

Pendlebury, 51, was instantly ingrained in Halifax folklore but, ever modest, insists: “It was only one of a dozen incidents which had a major say on that game.

“Graham Eadie scored a great try from a scrum move while Wilf George did everything to get in at the corner for another.

“I was involved in two or three different instances but it was a great team effort that just about got us over the line in the end.

“Most neutral punters would have seen that Saints side from one to 13 and say they were stronger than us in every position.

“They liked to play with flair. Elia and Paul Loughlin were certainly a considerable threat and they had some big names.

“But Saints tried to force the issue. We played to our strength – simple football while knowing our defence could win territory.

“We earned a few chances and took them. Saints came back at us but we had a real strong belief in each other and held on for a brilliant win.”

Pendlebury puts much of the credit down to the work of player-coach Chris Anderson, the veteran Australian winger who, at the age of 35, was then operating at stand-off.

“Chris’s main strength was recognising people who could make a difference in a game,” he said.

“He knew a game-breaker. It could be someone who goes in at marker and does three tackles on the bounce or someone like Graham Eadie, who could just change the complexion of a match in an instant.

“They both did it regularly in the quarters and semis and it probably came from playing at a certain level in Australia.

“We were very fortunate in that Halifax team in that we were very workmanlike but had two real class players in Eadie and Anderson too.

“It was Chris who gave us the belief in what we could all do.”

There will be no reunion on Wednesday, the 25th anniversary of the victory, as the majority of the squad congregated 20 years on at Wembley in 2007.

But builder Pendlebury (pictured while combining his role as Halifax coach and starting work on the club’s new stand at The Shay in 1998) is still in regular contact with team-mates such as Colin Whitfield, Les Holliday, Ian Wilkinson and Seamus McCallion.

He was a loser with Halifax as Wigan began their Challenge Cup domination in 1988 and had already experienced defeat in the 1984 final for Wigan against Widnes.

Pendlebury later featured with Bradford Northern but will always be best remembered for his endeavours in that heroic 1987 affair when he helped the Thrum Hallers hang on to a slender one-point lead for 11 agonising minutes.

“I can imagine either Halifax or Leigh will fancy getting to the semis if they win on Sunday,” he added.

“Karl Harrison has ‘Fax well structured and disciplined this season but they have still been erratic.

“That’s the nature of the game, though, especially when it comes to the Challenge Cup.”