Sporting Bygones: Golden memories are sure to come flooding back as Castleford prepare for their final season 'darn Lane'

CASTLEFORD will leave their evocative, traditional and true home of Wheldon Road later this year.

Younger supporters may only know it as The Jungle following the inevitable razzmatazz which came with the advent of Super League more than 15 years ago.

It was, only last month, renamed again as The PROBIZ Coliseum, a similarly prevalent requisite of financial assistance necessitating that change.

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However, to Castleford fans of an older vintage, visiting their atmospheric, characterful stadium will always be described as going "darn Lane", a sentence that will have been uttered just as many times in the erstwhile mining town as "he's off darn pit."

As this final season at the ground approaches, in less than a fortnight people will no doubt be recollecting their fondest memories of games past and present at Wheldon Road in readiness for what will be an emotional send-off in September.

It would be hard to select any one photograph to represent this so I have simply picked out at random this accompanying shot from 1985.

It shows a collaboration of players who, a little over a year later, would combine to create one of the club's finest moments with a famous Challenge Cup final win over Hull KR at Wembley.

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Here, they are pictured ahead of meeting Bramley at Wheldon Road in a third round game of the same competition the previous season.

They negotiated this fixture before going all the way to the semi-finals where Hull FC needed a replay to finally overcome Malcolm Reilly's determined team.

Many of those pictured here did go on to taste victory the following year, though, with the heartbeat of the side being provided by their influential captain John Joyner.

The classy loose-forward went on to make over 500 appearances for the club, more than any other player, and followed a long line of notable Castleford No 13s, not least Reilly himself.

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A creative talent, with great handling skills and a typical toughness associated with most people brought up in the town, Joyner had the ability to pierce any defence in a variety of manners.

Around him through the spine of the team were the Castleford-born Beardmore twins – Kevin and Bob.

At hooker and scrum-half, respectively, they directed

the side with vast authority, enjoying a partnership so natural and instinctive that it was obvious it could only have emerged from such a close brotherly bond.

Their link-up play seemed second nature, each knowing where the other would be, often without looking.

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Reilly recalled marvelling at their combination and it proved a core foundation of the success Castleford – who had only won the Cup three times previously in 1935, 1969 and 1970 – would go on to enjoy.

Kevin Ward, the marauding second-row from Stanley who had somehow at first been a footballer, provided the menace in the pack, a colossus of a man who would go on and represent Great Britain with aplomb and become one of the world's finest forwards.

Tony Marchant – here just 22 – was an abrasive and cutting centre, who would make his own international debut the following year and score more than 100 tries for Castleford, who have since failed to win the cup again since '86, while Gary Connell and Barry Johnson were solid front-rows who rarely took a backward step.

At the far left of the photograph on the front row is a familiar face if not hairline.

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John Kear, approaching the twilight of his playing days as an industrious, committed winger/centre, had been a long-time performer for his home-town club.

He would be Reilly's assistant when they defeated Hull KR at Wembley the following year and would go on to coach Sheffield Eagles to the biggest Challenge Cup shock in history, defeating Wigan in the remarkable 1998 final, before lifting the trophy once more with Hull FC six years ago.

Now, as head coach of Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, Kear is hoping to secure them a Super League licence later this year with many believing they and, ironically, his former club, Castleford, are the ones most at risk of losing out when the decision is made.

Just as Castleford are moving out of Wheldon Road, so, too, are Wakefield departing Belle Vue as they both bid to secure new stadiums which will strengthen their hand when it comes to securing a Super League future.

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Powerful winger David Plange was another direct player who Reilly would later hand a Great Britain jersey to and who was a favourite of the Wheldon Road crowd.

The club, having initially played their first season following formation at nearby Lock Lane, moved to the site in 1927 and have been there ever since.

While obviously veering towards dilapidation, and unsuitable for the needs of modern rugby-watching supporters, finally departing the old venue will still be one of the saddest days of this rugby calendar ahead.