SATURDAY’s Challenge Cup Final will be the last for a man who has organised trips to Wembley for rugby league fans for 49 consecutive years.

Tony Gandy’s 49th and final convoy of Warrington Wolves fans heading to the final will leave for Wembley on Friday at 8am from the Tavern on Church Street.

His first trip to Wembley was the infamous ‘watersplash’ final in 1968, when Wakefield’s Don Fox missed a conversion from under the posts with a minute to go that would have won the game against Leeds in torrential conditions.

The Grappenhall resident said: “I played for Rylands rugby league team and the first trip to Wembley I went on was run by Terry Whaley, who I played with – I ended up starting to organise them myself.

“I started with 50 people going down but for the past three years I’ve taken three coaches with hundreds of people.

“We now take the grandsons of the people who originally came on the trips, and we have three generations of one family who travel together and have been coming with me for years.

“It’s got to the stage where I need to wind down as I’m taking too much on – I’m involved with the Warrington Lions and do a lot of charity work as well.”

Tony, who was 20 when he first started organising trips and is now 68, picked highlights including the Wire’s trips to Wembley in 1974, 1975, 1990, 2009, 2010 and 2012.

The Clarence Road resident also fondly remembers Leigh beating Leeds in the 1971 final, the classic Wigan v Hull FC final in 1985 and Sheffield Eagles lifting the trophy against all odds in 1998 after defeating Wigan.

He added: “The 150 of us are actually sitting in the Hull end, but we’ll make more noise than anyone else.

“It’s nice to have our own team at the final but it’s nice to have people from 40 different professional clubs mixing and enjoying themselves with no trouble – if you go to a football final there are just two teams and there is trouble.

“Young and old go, from seven-year-olds to 90-year-olds and they really enjoy it.

“I have met some wonderful people on my trips – not only on my coaches but from the world of rugby league.

“Thank you to everyone who has been with me on this fantastic journey – come on the Wire.”