Scunthorpe Steelers History 1986

1986

Having gone agonisingly close to reaching the Steel Bowl in their rookie season, the Scunthorpe Steelers had their sights firmly set on reaching the Amateur American Football Conference’s (AAFC) showpiece game in 1986.

American Football’s continued growth in popularity in the United Kingdom had led to AAFC expanding to eight teams in the off-season, with league officials splitting them into two four-team divisions with the winners of each going head-to-head in the Steel Bowl. The Steelers were placed in the Eastern Division alongside the Steel City Giants (Sheffield), Kingston Liberators (Hull) and Newark Vulcans, with the defending champion Wirral Wolves joining the St Helens Cardinals, Leeds Cobras and Macclesfield Cobras in the Western Division.

The 1986 off-season was huge for the Steelers – both on the field and off it. On it, Scunthorpe had expanded its playing squad greatly with 50 players now on the books, while off it the club had been boosted by a sponsorship deal with a local steel-processing firm. Steel Centre 4’s new involvement with the Steelers would signal the arrival of the Eddy family – who would become synonymous with the club – and it also led to a change in colours during the campaign, with the Steelers swapping its Pittsburgh-inspired Black and Yellow to the signature White and Columbia Blue that they would wear until folding.

Another big change saw Scunthorpe relocate to Quibell Park stadium, the host venue for the 1985 Steel Bowl, and the Steelers christened their new home in blistering fashion as John Strachan ran in two touchdowns in a 43-0 demolition of the Newark Vulcans on the opening day of the new season. Wayne Brumby went in for the first TD of what would prove to be a historic season for the team, and by half-time the Steelers had opened up a commanding 22-0 lead. Ian Moore’s 40-yard touchdown was the highlight of the second half as Scunthorpe pulled away for a convincing victory.

A week later Scunthorpe made the short trip to Sheffield with the intention of improving to 2-0 in the Eastern Division, but they headed back down the M18 with nothing to show for their efforts as the Giants edged a 6-2 victory in closely-fought contest that saw Scunthorpe’s only points came via a fourth-quarter safety. The result would later be overturned, with the Steelers being awarded a 1-0 victory.

A return to winning ways did not take long however, as the Steelers bounced back with a 73-6 annihilation of the Sherwood Outlaws. The Steelers racked

Scunthorpe Steelers players look on from the sideline during the 43-0 rout of Newark at Quibell Park.

up nine touchdowns as Ian Moore helped himself to a couple scores while Wayne Brumby, Andy Squire and John Strachan were also among the TD-scorers, but once again Scunthorpe failed to make it back-to-back wins as they were beaten 12-9 by Wirral. It would not be the last time those two clubs met in 1986 though, and the Steelers would get their revenge when it mattered most!

Scunthorpe got their Steel Bowl quest back on track with a commanding 36-7 win at the Leeds Cobras. After a slow first quarter Scunthorpe burst into life in the second as Steve Hodgskin and Any Squire put touchdowns on the board, and Wayne Brumby extended their lead in the third before the Cobras’ only points came in impressive fashion, with Eric Olpherts rampaging his way through the visiting defence for a 50-yard score. Steve Rack and Steve White ensured there would be no late heroics from Leeds though, with their fourth-quarter TDs wrapping up a fine win for coach Leland Sullivan’s boys.

Scunthorpe Steelers in action during the 47-6 victory over the Kingston Liberators on Family Day at Quibell Park.

The Hull-based Kingston Liberators were next up as Scunthorpe played their first home game since the opening weekend, and the Steelers delivered a big performance for a big crowd that were attending Quibell Park’s Family Weekend, running out 47-6 winners. It took just two minutes for the home side to put their first points on the board, with John Strachan running in the game’s opening touchdown, but the Liberators hit back before the end of the first quarter with a touchdown of their own. Their extra-point effort was blocked though, and that signalled the end of Kingston’s points-scoring as the Steelers ran away with it. Strachan ran in two more scores and Steve Hodgskin recorded a hat-trick of TDs himself before Andy Squire wrapped up the win and the Jubilee Bowl. Kicker Steve Rack took the Most Valuable Player award for Scunthorpe, while the Liberators’ award went to a man who Scunthorpe fans would become very familiar over the next few years, Maurice Newton.

Sullivan’s side were on a roll and they registered their biggest win of the season so far as they ran riot at Newark, hammering the sorry Vulcans 74-0 in a game that showcased the huge gulf between these two sides. Eight different Steelers players went in for scores, with John Strachan, Steve White, Steve Hodgskin,

Wayne Brumby and Andy Squire all adding to their season tallies by finding the Newark endzone. And of course, the boot of ever-dependable kicker Steve Rack provided the icing on the cake for several of those TDs as Scunthorpe took command of the Eastern Division.

Another defensive clean sheet followed as the Steelers swept aside the Cobras of Macclesfield, 40-0 a couple of weeks later, and although the defence was finally breached in their next outing, the 66-14 demolition of the St Helens Cardinals had many believing Scunthorpe would get their hands on the Steel Bowl trophy in their sophomore season. Once again John Strachan, Steve Hodgskin and Wayne Brumby were among the touchdown scorers as coach Sullivan led his team to an emphatic victory, setting up a big rematch with the Steel City Giants who had beaten them in Week 2 (watch the game).

Almost 1,000 fans made their way to Quibell Park for the meeting between the best two teams in the Eastern Division, and it was the Scunthorpe contingent that were celebrating after the game thanks to a 23-0 victory that kept them firmly on course for a championship-showdown with Wirral Wolves. Andy Squire, Cliff Pargeter and Glenn Stowe all ran in touchdowns as the Steelers avenged the 6-2 defeat, and it meant they would be heading to the Steel Bowl as long as they avoided a spectacular last-day collapse when they visited the Kingston Liberators.

Of course, not even the most ardent Kingston supporter would have expected anything other than a Scunthorpe victory and that is just what happened as the Steelers blew away the Liberators, 59-0, in their final division game of the 1986 season. Sullivan’s men were 27 points to the good by the end of the first quarter as Steve Hodgskin, Cliff Pargeter and Pete Burns all went in for touchdowns, and the onslaught continued from there as Burns, Andy Squire, Glen Stowe and Steve Hodgskin all went in as Scunthorpe secured a Steel Bowl slot in devastating fashion.

The 1986 Steel Bowl was played at Quibell Park, and the importance of this game was highlighted by the fact that Calendar News sent along a team to cover the meeting between Scunthorpe and the Wirral Wolves (watch the report). The Merseysiders had ran out winners when the two teams met earlier the season, but it would be the Steelers who won the big one (watch the game).

Quarterback Danny Aguado and wide receivers Manay Owalabi and Wayne Freeman caught the eye for Wirral, but coach Sullivan had the Steelers well-drilled and that proved to be the telling factor in a 50-32 victory. Scunthorpe went ahead when Pete Burns went in for the opening touchdown of the 1986 Steel Bowl, but Wirral responded in trademark fashion as Aguado and Owalabi hooked up for their 76th TD of the campaign. John Strachan restored Scunthorpe’s lead as they turned to the running back that had served the team so well all season long, but it was a bad day for the club’s snapper and that resulted in the normally reliable Steve Rack failing with extra points and field goal attempts. The combination of Owalabi and Freeman ensured the Steelers would not run away with the game though, like they had done countless times in the regular season, and the two teams went into half-time with just four points separating them, with the Steelers edging ahead 18-14.

Scunthorpe Steelers score a touchdown in the 1986 Steel Bowl win over Wirral Wolves at Quibell Park.

The third quarter would prove to be decisive though, with Steve Hodgskin’s touchdown seemingly breaking the resistance of the Wolves ahead of the final quarter. Hodgskin, Strachan and Pete Burns all found the endzone as the Steelers pulled away, but Wirral found their second wind as Freeman went in for a 60-yard scored before going in from 25 yards to cut the deficit to 44-26. However, Andy “The Washing Machine” Jones would channel his inner William “The Refrigerator” Perry to score a championship-winning touchdown late on, with Aguado’s 45-yard bomb to Owalabi proving to be little more than consolation for the beaten Wolves.

With the Steel Bowl trophy secured, Scunthorpe had one more outing in 1986 and it was against a side that would become regular opposition for the Steelers over the next few years, the Manchester Heroes. The Heroes paid a visit to Quibell Park for the first ever Christmas Bowl and it was the Steelers who ran out 22-8 winners to add the prize to their Steel Bowl success and the Abbey National Cup they had won by thrashing the Lincoln Bombers 57-0 earlier in the year.