By IAN JUDSON
A PODCAST pundit recently said he was “staggered by the support” Hull FC receive despite the dross they have been served for the last five years or so.
Those words from a well-respected member of the rugby league press got my attention and I thought it would be a good idea to jump on a supporter’s coach for the Thursday evening trip to see their team play St Helens.
I wanted to speak to these legendary Old Faithful supporters and find out what keeps them turning up week in, week out, year in, year out with no questions asked and close to the magical figure of 10,000 season pass holders.
I was pleased to find other supporters who I know personally on the coach, including Lewis Bell and his mum Elizabeth. And in charge on our coach was the beautifully effervescent – while also very realistic – Trish Spicer. For me as a journalist, interviewing any of them would have been the easy option.
However, I sat in front of a group who filled the back row of the coach seats and we were soon joined, much to my delight, by the two granddaughters of Hull FC reporting legend Richard Tingle.
I explained who I am and my purpose for being there. I asked them why they keep turning up. Because – as anyone will tell you – fans want to support a winning team. One lady said “we just buy the merchandise etc”. To her it was just normality, an everyday thing that is not questioned.
There was a fantastic, jovial attitude that pervaded over the coach, with everyone just enjoying the moment for what it was as the vehicle made its way over the Pennines, heading for The BrewDog Stadium. And as we entered St Helens itself, I asked each of my companions for their predictions for score and first try-scorer.
On a long trip to St. Helens, a town in which the Black & Whites had been winless since 2017 (and seven defeats on the trot, including at basement dwellers Huddersfield Giants just the previous week), any Airlie Birds fan could have been forgiven for expecting another loss against certainly an erratic St Helens side. This was also a Saints team which should still be claiming a home win against a Hull side that was chronically low on confidence and belief.
However, there was not a bit of that with the following predictions “FC win 24-16 Lewis Martin”, then “FC win 18-10 James Bell”, next “FC win 28-26 Jake Arthur, and “Hull FC win 24-18 Lewis Martin” then “can I just say we’ll win 100-0? No I think 36-18 to us, Lewis Martin first try-scorer” and finally “Hull FC to win 22-12 and Lewis Martin to score first.
What this told me was that there is an unshakable belief among the Old Faithful. They still believe in their team and despite the drudgery of some lean years and watching the near neighbours have unprecedented success, theykeep turning up.
It could easily be argued that the Old Faithful are genuinely Hull FC’s greatest asset. And having attended games before taking over as chairman, that fact was definitely not lost on Andrew Thirkill.
Inevitably the journey home after a big win which claimed the Steve Prescott Cup and an announcement about a trip for these supporters to Dublin in April, was absolutely bouncing. And I would defy absolutely anyone to not enjoy that journey and feel absolutely caught-up in that moment and the excited chatter, when the talk about Dublin in particular was much more prevalent than it had been at the time of the announcement in the stadium.
Put simply, with my journalist head on, these supporters were absolutely symptomatic of what this club stands for. They are a huge community which still turns out in larger numbers most weeks than Sewell Group Craven Park could actually hold. They travel the length and breadth of Super League grounds to support their team.
I believe it is truly fair to say that the Old Faithful are a legendary group of genuine supporters. They are their own entity but they are also intrinsically entwined in the fabric of their club.
There is a genuine connection there which has clearly never been lost even through the toughest of times, a connection that makes them an extension of the team in whichever stands they inhabit, both home and away, in 2018 it was said they took more supporters to Wollongong in Australia than Manly do.
I would suggest Dublin, followed by Liverpool again the following week should expect a Black & White invasion as these supporters continue to do their club very proud.
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