In the latest of our ex-player feature interviews, we catch up with former Black & White star winger Gareth Raynor to discuss how he came to join the club in the early 2000s, and the success of the years that followed.
When you think of FC’s great attacking players of the 2000s, Raynor is almosr certainly one of the first names that comes to your lips. In his nine seasons with the club that span the majority of most of the first decade of the new millennium, the Leeds-born winger was a mainstay throughout.
A Featherstone Rovers fan as a youngster, although being a Rugby League fan at heart, it was in the opposite code where Raynor would spent most of his youth playing
Detailing his journey to joining the Airlie Birds, Raynor said: “I quite a late bloomer in the sport, I was playing at Castleford Panthers up until I was 20.
“I used to live in Featherstone back in about 2000 and I remember being in a pub with my partner at the time with a Super League game on the TV and I thought to myself “I wish I had that opportunity”.
“The bloke behind the bar who knew me said I should write a few letters to some of the clubs around that part of the world, so I got in touch with Leeds Rhinos, Castleford Tigers, Wakefield Trinity and Featherstone Rovers asking for a trail.
“I got a phone-call from Leeds asking if I wanted to come down and have a session with the A-team. It was a big shift from playing amateur a week ago – I turned up and all the young stars were there: Burrow, Sinfield, McGuire, with their new boots and new cars, and there’s me and my mucky boots with my Ford Fiesta!”
However, Raynor jumped straight into the professional environment, adding: “I went straight into it with a lot of belief in myself. Everything was so well drilled and it was very different from what I had experienced before at amateur level, and when it came to the A-team matches, I feel that’s when I really came out of my shell.
“I think I impressed them more than they thought I would so I was offered a part-time contract until the end of the season, which included playing a few games for Leeds Tykes in Rugby Union, which I had played a little bit when I was a kid until I was 15.”
But the wingers time at the Rhinos would come to a sudden end, allowing the Black & Whites to come knocking after hearing about a young talent on their books.
“Unfortunately at the end of that season, Gary Hetherington came to me and said they couldn’t afford to improve my contract. I thought that maybe it was as far as I could go in the game, I’d done myself proud, but ultimately I was at an age where I needed to work and earn a proper living.
“But about two weeks later, I got a knock on the door and it Hull’s director Shane Richardson; Gary had spoken to Kath (Hetherington) and said we’ve got this kid who has a lot of talent, but we can’t fit him in. So Hull came down and offered me a full-time deal.
“It was an easy decision to sign for Hull. Obviously there was a lot of talk that the club weren’t in the best of states at that period of time, but I didn’t care about that. I just wanted to play full-time rugby at the top level.
“Originally I was just a squad player and played about 10 games for the A-team before I got my chance – there was an injury to Chris Smith who broke his jaw against St Helens, which gave me the chance to have a run in the team.
“The most rewarding thing for me in those early days was when Chris got back fully fit, I kept that spot and they had to find somewhere else for him in the squad. For a young kid, that’s a great feeling. People were impressed by me and that was a great time.”
However, Raynor’s inital spell at Hull would only last two seasons, signing a deal with Rugby Union side Leicester Tigers for the 2003 season.
“To be honest, I was in my element at Hull and really enjoying it. But I ended up at Leicester Tigers through my agent to be honest. He was telling me Sky Sports were pulling out of rugby league, all of the money is in rugby union, and they were chucking five times more money at me!
“I wanted to stay at Hull but there was obviously a real predicament there with that sort of money being offered. Unfortunately FC couldn’t match that and the move went through. So I played there in 2003 which was of course the World Cup winning year, and I was surrounded by a few of those players that were involved in the England squad; the likes of Martin Johnson and Neil Back, but I wasn’t phased by it, and I don’t think I gave them the same respect I did the Hull and Rhinos players, purely because I was a league player at heart!”
However, Raynor was soon back at FC, initially on loan, before the move was made permanent later in the 2003 season.
“I ended up getting loaned back to Hull to cover after Matt Crowther’s injury. I only went for one match originally, and it was my first ever match at the new KCOM Stadium. I scored twice, ran over to the stands and patted the badge, and it was all in the papers the next day saying “Why is Raynor not playing at Leicester if he’s just scored tow here?”, and the next week I got picked for my first start the following week, which is pretty made playing league and union professionally in the same week!
“I did actually sign a three-year at Leicester but I had a bit of a falling out with Dean Richards after getting pulled from playing for England in the China Sevens for an A-team game, so I was adamant I wanted to leave.
“There were a few other Super League clubs interested but it was an easy choice for me – obviously they couldn’t match what I was being paid in union, but I was just happy to be playing league again. I don’t have any regrets.”
In the coming seasons, Raynor was a key player in the successful 2005 Challenge Cup campaign, and believes then head coach John Kear was a key cog to Hull’s triumph.
“John was a players coach; so passionate and knows how to get a result as an underdog. The squad buy into his culture – he wasn’t there for a payday, he was there because he loves the game. He’s probably one of the best man-management coaches around. He was the key to us going on to achieve what we did that day.”
On the cup run, Raynor explained: “Nobody expected us to win against Bradford, Saints or Leeds, so there was no pressure. We wasn’t a team of ‘superstars’ so to speak like them three were, even though we had some superb players in that squad – a lot were young local lads who were still early in their careers.
“We showed the mentality of fighting for each other and being there for each other for 80 minutes. When you look at the squad actually, it’s mad to think we were underdogs because of the quality players in that squad. But we were called that because we hadn’t won anything recently like St Helens or Leeds.”
And the club’s third-placed Super League top try-scorer has vivid memories of cup final day in Cardiff, but despite scoring in the match, is keen to forget his penalty try mistake!
“It was an easy one in the corner, just squeezed over, but it was a great feeling to score in the cup final. I still talk about it all the time to my partner! I had to score though given the mistake I made giving the penalty try away – I didn’t used to make many mistakes but that was a huge cock-up in front of 70,000 people.
“When the ball went up, I knew I should have left it for Motu Tony, but I came off my wing and got in his way, lost possession and give away the first ever penalty try in a cup final to Mark Calderwood! I’ve never been able to watch the match back properly because of that; I went to a players reunion about five years ago and I had my head in my hands when that bit was coming up on the replay – I’ve never got over up because I don’t like to make mistakes, but scoring the try eased that, and obviously winning too! The cup final win put FC back on the map as a real contender again after a decade or so to forget.”
The Black & Whites also went on to enjoy a successful campaign during 2006 reaching their maiden Grand Final, and despite not winning the trophy, has positive memories of the season.
“2006 was awesome and the cup final was part of the momentum of that. We had some real confidence and belief that season and teams were scared of playing against us. The night against Bradford at home was special but I don’t remember it in huge detail due to being so nervous!
“In terms of the final, nobody wants to get to a final and get beat, but I always like to look at the positives in life and for me, we had made Hull FC a real force again, even though we didn’t win the Grand Final.”
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