Sheffield Eagles v Widnes Vikings
On Sunday 5th March the Sheffield Eagles played their next game of the 2023 season, home to Widnes Vikings.
We look back to the first time that Sheffield Eagles played Widnes Vikings.
The first game against each other
Sheffield Eagles and Widnes Vikings played each other for the first time on 27th November 1988 in the Eagles fifth season. This wasn't in the league but in the second round of the John Player Special Trophy. The game at Owlerton Stadium saw the Eagles lose 32-9, with Widnes going on to lose to Wigan in the final.
The sole try scorer in that game for the Eagles was Paul Okesene, with two goals and a drop goal from Mark Aston.
Widnes at that time were reigning league champions, also finishing that season as league champions. The end of the season saw the Eagles promoted, for the first time in their history.
There were 2,716 people watching the game that day, five times the number the Eagles had regularly been getting. The next time the two Clubs faced each other was a year later in the league when the Eagles beat Widnes (the current world champions at that point) 31-6 at Bramall Lane in front of a crowd of 8,636.
Share your memories
Do you have any memories of games between Sheffield Eagles and Widnes Vikings that you'd like to share. Share them with us HERE.