Batley were visiting the famous stadium for the first time in their 143-year history and, despite being agonisingly beaten by Halifax Panthers, 12-10, in the 1895 Cup final, over 1,000 Bulldogs supporters enjoyed the historic trip.
On the club’s big day out, and the support his side received, head coach Craig Lingard said:
“It’s one of those occasions that you’re really pleased and proud to have been involved in. To play in those big events is what you want to do as a player and as a coach, so having the opportunity to be at Wembley with the club was just a fantastic weekend for everybody involved.
“In an ideal world you win the game but there’s got to be a winner and there’s got to be a loser and, unfortunately for us, we were the loser on this occasion. Halifax, overall, probably deserved the victory because they handled the occasion better than us on the day.
“We are the first group from Batley to go to Wembley. That can’t be taken away from us. It would have been ideal to mark it with a victory but it is a very proud achievement for me on a personal level.
“The support all the way through the game was absolutely outstanding. The numbers can seem a little bit dwarfed by the size of the stadium but the section where the Batley fans were seemed very busy and hopefully some of the floating fans will be encouraged to come more often.”
Thank you to everyone who provided their pictures on the Batley Bulldogs RLFC Supporters Group Facebook page.
1. Batley Bulldogs’ historic day out at Wembley
Batley fans soaking up the atmosphere in the famous stadium Photo: SUB
2. Batley Bulldogs’ historic day out at Wembley
Batley fans soaking up the atmosphere in the famous stadium Photo: SUB
3. Batley Bulldogs’ historic day out at Wembley
Batley fans soaking up the atmosphere in the famous stadium Photo: SUB
4. Batley Bulldogs’ historic day out at Wembley
Batley fans enjoying their day out at Wembley on Saturday Photo: SUB