Looking ahead to Fax's Challenge Cup semi final clash by remembering day back in 1987

Pat and Tony Parker made the trip down to Wembley over 30 years ago to see Halifax play St Helens in the Challenge Cup final.

After their local team won the match 19–18, the pair put pen to paper and wrote a poem recounting the winning day.

Over 91,000 people attended the event and Pat and Tony are hoping to spark happy memories of that day back in 1987 with other fans who made the trip down to London.

They said: "Good luck to the Halifax team on July 27 when they play St Helens.

"Hope this poem might give the team extra inspiration, it was certainly an inspiring day for us in 1987."

Halifax v St Helens 1987

The town began to wake, with coffee cups and bacon.

With sandwiches to make, before we hit the station.

Buses, coaches, cars, like lemmings to the sea.

Crawling out of town, supporters all to be.

The run down railway station, with specials on the line,

Seven forty, eight o'clock and then almost nine.

Converging on the capital like lions on their prey,

Will Murphy's mouth shout 'Victory'

Or 'Blue and Whites' win the day?

Excitement and exhaustion, the game is going fine,

Have all St Helen's tackle tricks, deserted them this time?

Now half time comes, and Murphy has done his level best,

St Helens start the second half like 'Devils' all possessed!

The time is going slowly, the minutes tick away,

Is that a try? They dropped the ball,

I heard somebody say.

A forward pass, the ref's not wrong,

And videos can't lie.

A crowd of nineteen thousand heave a mighty sigh.

Has time stood still, the whistle seems a million hours away.

Then there it goes .........

The 'Blue and Whites' champions of the day!

Shouting, laughing, crying, we've dealt the final blow.

We're here again, we've been before, so many years ago!

Halifax are set to play St Helens at the University of Bolton Stadium on July 27