TWENTY years ago today Saints were running around a sun-baked Knowsley Road with the inaugural Super League title after finishing top of the pile in a landmark first summer season.

Feelings of relief were mixed with euphoria after Saints had thumped Warrington 66-14 on their last game of the campaign to finish a point ahead of a Wigan.

It should never have been in doubt given the professional job Saints had done week to week in clocking up the wins necessary to win the maiden Super League title.

It was like buses – and after waiting two decades for the league and the cup Saints won them both in one season to mark the dawning of a new era.

Wigan’s dominance of rugby league in the late 80s and first half of the 90s was tough for the game in general but even more painful for a Saints side that had to live in the dark shadow cast their near neighbours and bitter rivals.

The Cherry and Whites, between 1988-95, strung together eight consecutive Wembley wins, added League titles for fun and looked set to go on and on.

Saints, who had slowly but surely begun to assemble and as importantly retain a side capable of challenging, had other ideas from the outset of the new full time summer era.

The final pieces of the jigsaw were slotted in ahead of the start of the new 12-team Super League kicked off in 1996.

Centre Paul Newlove, the sort of strike weapon that would have been allowed to go to Leeds or Wigan in previous years, was delivered to Knowsley Road in the back of a Securicor van – part of the David Howes school of PR to make the most of a calling card signing.

And that he was the ace in the left hand gang comprising Messrs Joynt, Martyn and Sullivan, with the ace centre crossing 28 times that year and his wing partner getting over the whitewash.

Off the field Australian Shaun McRae was brought in to build on the foundations Eric Hughes had patiently laid down in pushing the youngsters through into the first team.

And what a team it was, with plenty of that 96 outfit coning into their prime at the same time.

Bobbie Goulding strutted and strolled around the park, directing men like a grand master pushing chess pieces around. Any Martian observing the game from above would have been left in no doubt who the leader was - Goulding was at the heart of everything and gave body and soul to Saints’ title mission.

After living in Wigan’s shadow for so long, suddenly man for man Saints’ class looked more than equal to the Riversiders.

A look down that squad would illustrate that – starting with attacking full back Steve Prescott. Preccy may have really shown how courageous he was when he battled cancer later in life, but that year he showed his prowess as a player, bravely attacking the bombs launched by skipper Goulding.

Prescott showed flair, pace and skill in spades to chalk up the points that term.

On the flanks Anthony Sullivan, Joey Hayes and Danny Arnold knew how to finish them off.

And in the centres Newlove, Allan Hunte, and prior to his return to Wales Scott Gibbs, showed that Saints had threat on both edges.

In the halves Tommy Martyn combined perfectly with Goulding, and his vision and execution put so much on a plate for those outside hime.

Up front big men Apollo Perelini, Adam Fogerty and Derek McVey laid the platform, with Vila Matautia giving impact off the bench.

Second row, and vice captain, Chris Joynt was a player who had it all on both sides of the ball – he never missed much in defence, knew how to play the game and could be pretty devastating running on that left edge.

Karle Hammond was a smart player at loose forward, often sharing his role with Andy Northey.

At nine Saints had unearthed a real young talent in Keiron Cunningham – a place as strong as an ox, but with pace and the intelligence to see what was on.

Forwards Chris Morley, Andy Haigh, Ian Pickavance, Simon Booth and, before his injury, Andy Leathem added plenty.

Super League was launched in Paris where the hosts beat Sheffield Eagles on a landmark night – neither would grace the top flight for too much longer.

Saints’ campaign started with a 62-0 trouncing of Workington in west Cumbria – a game marked by Phil Veivers’ last game in the red vee after 12 years loyal service.

Good Friday – and the visit of Wigan – would show that Saints really did mean business. It looked like the same old story when Wigan went 16-4 up.

But we should have had more faith – with one of Danny Arnold’s three tries from an outrageous piece of play from Keiron Cunningham being the pick of the scores in the 41-26 thumping of the freshly adorned Warriors.

Saints were alone in Super League teams not needing a fresh monicker to embellish the town team’s name.

And after winning the Challenge Cup at Wembley with the win over Bradford, Saints set their sights on the Super League.

They were clearly not content with just that one cup after the way the year had started.

Rivals Wigan had set their sights on the maiden Super League – but Saints were going to fight them every inch of the way on the pitches of Wilderspool, the Valley and Wheldon Road they won the sort of tight games where a flinch would have proven so costly in previous years.

Looking down the list there were games there that were key to that term’s success.

It genuinely was nip and tuck. McRae’s men lost just two games that 22-match season – away at Wigan and Bradford but with the Warriors drawing at London it meant that Saints had to beat Warrington on that last day of the season.

It was never in doubt with Saints whipping the Wolves 66-14, helped by a Hunte hat-trick, in front of an ecstatic 18,098 crowd to be crowned champs for the first time in 21 years.

The Saints were back - and the success of that season paved the way for the glory years that followed.

Saints’ Super League record, 1996.

W 62-0 Workington (A).

W 41-26 Wigan (H).

W 46-24 Leeds (A).

W 26-20 Bradford (H).

W 30-28 Halifax (A).

W 66-18 Oldham (H).

W 24-22 London (H).

W 25-24 Warrington (A).

W 62-24 Castleford (H).

W 52-10 Paris SG (H).

W 43-32 Sheffield (A).

W 60-16 Workington (H).

L 35-19 Wigan (A).

W 42-16 Leeds (H).

L 50-22 Bradford (A).

W 58-20 Halifax (H).

W 54-18 Oldham (A).

W 32-28 London (A).

W 20-16 Castleford (A).

W 32-12 Paris SG (A).

W 68-2 Sheffield (H).

W 66-14 Warrington (H).