Ex Wire players Alan Gwilliam and Martin Dickens have died

Alan Gwilliam, 71, who scored the winning try for The Wire against Australia at Wilderspool in 1978, and Martin Dickens, 85, a hooker whose brother Tommy also played for the club, each made over 100 appearances in primrose and blue.

The two great servants of the game died after long illnesses.

Gwilliam, whose Warrington connections continued after his playing days as landlord of the Nelson's Quarterdeck pub in Birchwood, held the distinction of playing in two different club sides that defeated the Kangaroos.

He hailed from St Helens and started out with his hometown club, where his brother Ken also played professional rugby league, but enjoyed two cup wins with Warrington in the 1980-81 season.

He partnered Ken Kelly in the halves as The Wire defeated second division Wigan 26-10 in the Lancashire Cup Final at Knowsley Road, St Helens.

And he was in the same pairing for the John Player Trophy win against Barrow at Central Park, Wigan, three months later.

He was on the losing Warrington side in two finals, the first being against his hometown Saints in the Premiership Trophy Final of 1977 at Station Road, Swinton.

Gwilliam scored a try to give Warrington a 5-4 half-time lead but when he and Harry Pinner were sent off for fighting after the break the extra space suited St Helens who ran out winners 32-20.

The second cup final defeat was versus Widnes at Central Park, Wigan, in the John Player Trophy decider of 1979. That day he played at loose-forward, though he was known as a half-back - a position he was often competing for with Ken Kelly and Parry Gordon during his six years at Wilderspool.

With Warrington he made 136 appearances, 111 in the starting line-up, and scored 18 tries and one drop goal.

But Gwilliam's most famous moment is the stuff of legend - the winning try he scored for an heavily understrength Wire side that beat the touring Kangaroos 15-12 at a packed out Wilderspool on October 11, 1978.

It was not the first time he had tasted victory over the national Australia team, which is quite a distinction.

The former St Anselms School pupil was a product of Blackbrook ARLFC from where he turned professional with Saints in September, 1971.

In 1973-74 he played in the 11-7 victory over the Kangaroos at Knowsley Road, Saints' last ever against the Australians.

He would go on to make 47 appearances for his hometown team with his most prolific season being 1973-74, when he played 25 times, scoring six tries.

Incidentally, when Gwilliam was transferred to Warrington he made his debut in a 9-3 victory at St Helens on January 25, 1976. His brother Ken was in the Saints team that day.

His final appearance was as a substitute when The Wire defeated Barrow 25-17 at Wilderspool on April 25, 1982, which was the last match played at Wilderspool before a fire burnt down the main stand four days later.

After a brief spell coaching at Wilderspool, Gwilliam then served the amateur game with distinction in a coaching capacity at Parkside and Blackbrook, the latter with another former Wire and Saints half-back, Steve Peters.

English rugby league greats James Roby and James Graham were two who benefitted from his expertise and experience at the Blackbrook club.

His sons David and Ian were also signed by Saints from Blackbrook, which made him very proud.

Although a bricklayer by trade, Gwilliam went into the licensed trade initially at the Nags Head at Irlam and the Nelson’s Quarterdeck in Birchwood, before becoming the popular steward at Greenalls Club in St Helens.

He was a member of both the Warrington and St Helens Players’ Associations and made countless friends and acquaintances from his time playing and coaching rugby league.

Warrington Wolves have sent their condolences to his wife Margaret, his children Phillip, Ann Marie, David and Ian, and his grandchildren.

Warrington's former hooker Dickens died after a long illness.

The Wigan native signed for Leigh as a 16-year-old in 1952 after having been a stand-out schoolboy for the Worsley Boys Club and he had also played for Wigan Old Boys RUFC.

After impressive performances in the A team, Dickens made his first team debut in a 14-13 home win over St Helens a day after his 18th birthday in April, 1954.

He quickly earned respect as a clever footballer and he made 87 appearances for Leigh over eight seasons, scoring 14 tries.

He scored a try against Warrington in the ITV Floodlit Final on November 16, 1955, which The Wire won 43-15.

Dickens became Leigh’s regular loose forward and captain in his final two years at Hilton Park before a surprise transfer took him to Warrington.

He made his Wire debut on February 20, 1960, at Huddersfield at loose forward but he soon converted to the number nine shirt and was the regular hooker for the 1960-61 season, playing in 17 successive matches that saw The Wire move into the top four.

The run came to an end on Boxing Day when he suffered a broken leg, in the 15th minute against Leigh, which ended his season.

But he had contributed to a campaign in which The Wire finished second in the league and reached the Championship Final, losing out to Leeds.

He was back for the start of the 1961-62 season and finished it playing in Brian Bevan’s last match for Warrington on Easter Monday, 1962, when his former club Leigh were defeated 29-17.

Dickens had the unusual experience of playing against his younger brother Tommy in a Lancashire Cup tie at Hilton Park when the latter was making his Leigh debut in September, 1964.

In August 1965 Dickens was captain of the Warrington team which won the pre-season Wigan Sevens and lifted the Silcock Cup.

He also played in Warrington’s first ever match in the BBC2 Floodlit Trophy, when Widnes were the visitors to Wilderspool on October 12, 1965.

Four days later, and two weeks before The Wire defeated Rochdale in the Lancashire Cup Final, he played his final match for Warrington when Castleford were the visitors.

He made 125 starting appearances and scored 14 tries in six years at Wilderspool.

His career was far from over though.

He joined Blackpool Borough, playing 65 games and scoring seven tries and one goal as well as becoming team captain.

It was during his time at the seaside he won his only representative honour, chosen for a Rugby League XIII against a Paris XIII at the Parc de Princes in May, 1966.

A surprise move to the star-studded Salford led to Dickens playing hooker in their Challenge Cup Final defeat at the hands of Castleford in May, 1969.

Salford went down 11-6, having defeated Warrington in the semi-final.

He made 28 appearances for Salford and scored three tries.

Dickens suffered a broken jaw early in the following season and though he attempted a comeback in the A team, decided to retire and end a career of more than 300 games.

He had followed his father down the pit, working as a blacksmith for the National Coal Board.

But after his rugby career was over, he was persuaded by a friend to do some studies and he enrolled at a teacher training college in Liverpool and became a teacher, working in that profession for 30 years at St Aidan’s in Billinge.

In recent years Dickens, a widower, had been suffering from dementia and had been living in a care home.

His brother Tommy would often visit, and the pair would spend hours together recalling their rugby days with great affection.