St Helens' first 10 years at the Totally Wicked Stadium

January 20 marks 10 years exactly since Saints started their journey at the stadium with a friendly win over Widnes Vikings.

And it has been quite a ride so far for the club at this magnificent stadium which stands as a beacon of what can be achieved.

It was never likely to be all been plain sailing after departing their beloved Knowsley Road home of 120 years, not least because that coincided with the end of an era of some club legends.

During the past 10 years there have been teething troubles off the field and some tough times on it, but a combination of playing success and comfort and quality of the facilities has certainly helped TWS finally feel like home.

Having five of the six trophies available to Super League clubs displayed on the TWS cabinet certainly helps win over the hearts of fans.

But it was tough going at first, despite the buzz created by this shiny new stadium which many a cynic thought was a project that would be filed on the same spike as the Haydock ski slope.

That it was delivered, particularly in the midst of austerity, was something of a £25m miracle when considering how clubs east of the Pennines had faltered. Credit to the chairman Eamonn McManus and those who drove it home.

It was not without a few hitches and the odd grumble, with a section of the roof being crumpled by the storms and needing repair before it was opened in January 2012.

And of course the design issue, specifically the gap between roof and walls, was a constant bugbear of fans until the club fitted cladding in August 2013.

McManus himself helped bolt the first panel.

Although what Saints had was luxury compared to the facilities at Knowsley Road, fans are entitled to be misty eyed and nostalgic particularly those who missed the noise, energy and atmosphere generated from the Scaff.

And quite a few more mourned the dropping of the Crispy Cod from their pre-match chippy tea ritual.

Less missed was the restricted view from the stantions in the old main stand, which incidentally shook when Saints scored late, the dreadful ‘puddles’ in the gents and the antiquated hospitality facilities.

So it was a brave new world on the evening Saints entertained Widnes Vikings in the Karalius Cup friendly, running out 42-24 in front of an inquisitive 11,924 crowd keen to be in that number for this ‘I was there’ moment.

They had trailed 10-0 at first, with Vikings’ former Haresfinch and Thatto Heath wingman Paddy Flynn earning the distinction of crossing for the first try at Saints’ new home.

For the record, Sia Soliola crashed over for Saints’ first ever score at Langtree Park.

In 2011, despite playing all of their games out of town in Widnes, Saints had marched to Old Trafford and were 20 minutes away from Grand Final glory until the injuries to Paul Wellens, Michael Shenton and Jonny Lomax took their toll.

Picking any team up after a fifth consecutive Grand Final defeat was always going to be a tough ask, but that was the challenge faced by Royce Simmons, not made any easier by the departure of James Graham to the NRL.

The straight-talking former Kangaroos test hooker did not expect the crowd and venue to automatically give the team a lift.

“Nobody is going to jump out of the crowd and make those tackles for you,” he said in his own inimitable way.

At times, in those early days, it was very tough – with the new home expectation seeming too heavy a burden for a team scarred by five final failures to bear.

This was always going to be a tricky season for Saints given what they had just come off the back of, but they opened their Super League account with a 38-10 win over Salford.

15,537 filed in to see legend Tom van Vollenhoven deliver the match ball, with Alex Murphy, Kel Coslett and Keiron Cunningham cutting the ribbon.

The game itself was initially tough going with the Red Devils leading at the break. Again Soliola managed to get himself on the first scorer’s list and Saints ran in 34 unanswered points in the second half.

But it became tough going; after looking well clear Saints were out-Sainted by an after-the-bell try by Catalans (sounds familiar) with Scott Dureau’s conversion inflicting the club’s first home defeat.

It got worse, with a home loss to Hull FC played out in front of a morgue like atmosphere.

After the following week’s defeat at Odsal, Saints’ fifth game without a win, Simmons was sacked and Mike Rush and Keiron Cunningham took the helm.

And what a start, a rare Sunday afternoon game saw reigning champions Leeds turn up with their hair dyed red for comic relief.

It was all the additional motivation Saints needed with a 15,199 gate in raptures at a 46-6 triumph that gave them a bit of a bounce.

It was unfortunate, however, that Paul Wellens and Anthony Laffranchi were suspended for the first Good Friday fixture, with Saints losing 28-10 to Wigan in the stadium’s first sell-out.

In 2013 New coach Nathan Brown got off to an inauspicious start with a 40-4 defeat by his former Huddersfield Giants, in a year short of note, there was one particular highlight that made the ground rock.

With five minutes to go in Saints’ July clash with Wigan the scores were tied at 16 apiece when Tommy Makinson fielded a punt on his own 10 metre line. The young wingman hared to the flank, motoring 70 metres before the cover got him.

There was no panic, but a play the ball with Jonny Lomax teeing up big Joe Greenwood who incredibly powered over from 20 metres.

The West Stand did its best impression of the old Popular Side and exploded – Langtree Park was now home.

Later that year Langtree Park hosted the World Cup fixture between Australia and Fiji, but the torrential rain spoiled the occasion a little.

In 2014 Saints brought home their first pieces of silverware to the stadium, winning the League Leaders Shield and the Grand Final.

That triumph meant Saints, under new coach Cunningham, hosted the 2015 World Club Challenge for the first time having had to play previous encounters at Bolton and Wigan.

Alas, home advantage did not deliver with Saints losing 39-0 to South Sydney, with Russell Crowe’s presence in the stand causing a rush of selfie-seeking supporters. Fair play to the actor, he stood there and posed and signed for all.

Highlight of that year was again the late 18-14 win over Wigan with Josh Jones catching Jon Wilkin’s bomb to score, but it was a year without success.

2016 was even tougher, with the low points being the miserable Challenge Cup surrender against Hull FC and a Good Friday non-event.

By the April of the following year, change needed to happen and it did with Justin Holbrook eventually bringing his new broom.

Saints started to claw their way back up the table, but they were helped by two remarkable games – with Mark Percival’s two tries helping them sneak past Wigan 22-19.

But the one that sticks out was the June clash with a Salford side seeking their first win on St Helens soil since 1980.

The Red Devils led 24-8 with eight minutes to play, before Saints rattled in three tries from James Roby, Jonny Lomax and Regan Grace. With the match level and the clock on, Salford’s Rob Lui attempted something off the cuff.

Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook shovelled it on to Matty Smith who nailed the long-range drop goal winner.

It was not just a new broom that Holbrook brought, within a week of his arrival the signing of Ben Barba was announced.

For all of his many off the field misdemeanours, here was a player that was genuine box office.

He came into his own in 2018, with the mesmeric try he scored in the Good Friday win over Wigan – their first Easter success over the Warriors since 2009 – being a highlight. Big Mal Meninga - legend of 1984-5 - had given them a pep tall beforehand.

Alas, despite finishing top of the table, a late, missed tackle on Warrington’s Tom Lineham saw a semi final exit and a year that had promised so much failed to deliver.

Departing skipper Jon Wilkin and Barba said their tearful farewells to Langtree Park – not the Old Trafford Theatre of Dreams that had been scripted.

Three new signings ran on to field in the opener of 2019, plus one welcome returnee, and here was a side that had unfinished business.

Lachlan Coote was about to have his name penned in song by the West Stand choristers, but it was Kevin Naiqama who started as he would finish – by scoring.

Saints, with big Alex Walmsley back on board after a broken neck, defeated Wigan to show the 16,500 crowd they meant business.

One game that underlined their dominance that year was the play-off quarter final win, also over the Warriors, with Saints marching on to a Grand Final win over Wigan.

The last two years under Kristian Woolf have delivered two more Grand Final wins – achieved in difficult circumstances in the shadow of Covid.

If we were to pick out TWS landmark games in that time, the 2012 World Club Challenge defeat by Sydney Roosters would be up there after the previous two disappointing encounters against NRL outfits.

Had Saints not bombed some early opportunities, Saints would have been World Club Champions again – but it was not to be and having invested so much into that, and suffering the effects of a long 2019 and GB tour, they faltered.

The Covid lockdown let them regroup and when they returned they bounced to another title with that Jack Welsby winner against Wigan, with the fans, alas, forced to watch from home.

The TWS was coming into its own, with its facilities allowing it to hold a number of the triple header games on return. It also hosted the vaccination centre to be at the forefront of the battle against the pandemic.

It would be May 2021 by the time the fans did return, albeit in limited balloted numbers – but those present saw a 28-0 triumph over Salford.

And then there was a first-time visitor to the TWS – the Challenge Cup. The game’s most historic trophy had been a permanent feature at Knowsley Road in the noughties, so it was a welcome sight to see it paraded around town – even if restrictions meant the crowd could not gather at the stadium.

Saints had a three-peat in their sights and the way they battered Leeds Rhinos, led by the charges of Alex Walmsley, set the tone in the regular game and the play-off semi.

A week later – after a tense 12-10 win over Catalans – the trophy was back in its cabinet.

As a number of Saints’ rivals have demonstrated, a new stadium does not automatically equal success and some clubs are still sucking on the teething ring long after Saints have spat theirs away.

But as much as it was a wrench felt by everyone to leave Knowsley Road, it is difficult to see how Saints could have maintained their support levels and generated the income to bring in the star names and grow the Academy without the move into the 21st century.

With all well on the playing front and the hospitality sector getting ready to be full steam ahead after a difficult period that hard work and investment is clearly paying dividends.

And as a blueprint it is hopefully one that others in the game should copy – but in the meantime happy anniversary, may the next 10 years have many more ups than downs.

All pictures copyright: Bernard Platt