HAD Saturday’s Challenge Cup Final gone the wrong way, Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline would have been blasted out by the Wembley PA – an ear-worm that would have grated on fans for the 200-mile journey back St Helens and no doubt soured that song forever.
Thankfully, the victorious musical backdrop was provided by James’ Sit Down – an anthem that has become something of a Saints staple since that tumultuous night at Old Trafford in 2104.
Saturday, at 5.30pm, was the first time that song had been sung at Wembley in victory since its adoption by the club and its supporters.
And there is one poignant line that could have almost been specifically written for this past 13 year wait in pursuit of the Wembley Holy Grail.
“If I hadn’t seen such riches.
“I could live with being poor...”
For a club with such a rich pedigree in the cup, winning it in seven times in the first 12 years of the summer era, the previous dozen seasons have felt like an eternity.
And that desire to put that right was palpable - from the chairman Eamonn McManus down to the players missing this final medal to complement their Grand Final ring collection.
And of course the fans, whether brought up on Voll’s try of 61 or Bobbie’s Bombs of 96, this is an event that means something and has done for nigh on a century and a quarter.
So understandably it was a special moment at the end of the game at Wembley when Saints players excitedly galloped over to share their jubilation with those supporters at the red and white end of the famous stadium.
It is something they have waited a long time to do – with it being 13 years since the last victory at Wembley and two years since that nightmare against Warrington.
And it was not without a sense of relief on the terraces having seen Saints wobble during the second quarter and going behind at the break.
But it was all in hand, with James Roby steering the ship home.
There was something else at play in that celebration; a thank you to those fans for their commitment and support this past 18 months – having been unable to share their Grand Final win with them at Hull last year.
The appreciation across the fence between terrace and pitch was mutual – something coach Kristian Woolf picked up on at the end of the game.
Woolf said: “It was a great moment to be involved with.
"The team are an exceptional group of men and they just keep turning up and finding ways to win when they are asked, and they can do it pretty at the same time.
“I get the impression that the town is so proud of them – and they should be as well.
“The way they keep turning up and putting their bodies on the line is exactly what you want from your footy team.
“And that pride is certainly what I saw on the faces of the people when we went over at the end of the game.”
That pride was there for all to see again on Monday when townsfolk lined the streets to cheer home their heroes and welcome back that wonderful trophy.
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