Despite Blackburn Rovers and Arsenal picking their own titles here and there, only Chelsea have really challenged Manchester United's ascendancy to owning the Premiership, now running to nine victorious seasons in 15 years.

Similarly, in the decade before Super League’s conception, Wigan were the imperious force in Rugby League, amassing eight league Championships, eight Challenge Cups, seven Regal Trophies, five Lancashire Cups and three World Club Challenge titles.

By 1986, Wigan were a fully professional outfit (one of few, if not the only one) and attracted the game’s best talent; established names such as Ellery Hanley and Andy Gregory alongside nurtured youngsters like Shaun Edwards and Denis Betts. The Humberside dominance of the early 1980s had subsided, and bar a dream season by Halifax in 1985-86 (pipping Wigan to the title by one point), the Riversiders were primed for their first Championship success since 1970-71.

During the 1986-87 season, Wigan cut a swathe through the league opposition. Winning 28 of 30 matches, they breezed to the title, finishing a massive 15 points ahead of their closest rivals, St Helens. Although Challenge Cup success thwarted them (eventually won by Halifax by one point over St Helens), they would win the next eight. Wigan would also take another seven league titles leading up to Super League - but not for another couple of years.

Widnes were always there or thereabouts. The cup kings of the 1970s, they scored a Championship success of their own in 1977-78. From then, up to 1986, they hovered amongst the top five league places. However, as Wigan accrued a squad to rule over rugby league, Widnes were also planning a counter-offensive.

Doug Laughton returned to Naughton Park in 1986, once more taking the Chemic’s coaching reigns. He looked towards rugby union to boost Widnes’ squad from being title pretenders to serious contenders. The record breaking Martin Offiah, Paul Moriarty and later Alan Tait and Jonathan Davies joined the club’s other infamous players of the time; Kurt Sorenson, the Hulme Brothers, Andy Currier and Emosi Koloto.

Widnes duly won the Championship title in 1987-88, ahead of St Helens, Wigan and Bradford Northern, who were left scrapping for second spot. Added to that, Widnes were also victorious in the First Division Premiership final, defeating Saints 38-14 at Old Trafford.

For the following season, the high-profile additions of Tait and Davies bolstered the champions; two much-needed acquisitions to help keep a smarting Wigan at bay. The 1988-89 was very much about the tussles between these two clubs.

Widnes took first blood in the season opener - the then annual Charity Shield - a 20-14 victory on the Isle of Man. Wigan evened up matters in the Regal Trophy, defeating the Chemics 12-6 at Burnden Park, Bolton. To settle the score finally, we had the most important game of the season between the great rivals - a Championship decider.

With honours even, Widnes hosted Wigan in the last match of the league campaign. A capacity crowd crammed into Naughton Park to witness their team take the Championship spoils once again in a 32-18 victory. Similar to the previous season, they also added the Premiership title, beating Hull 18-10 in front of over 40,000 at Old Trafford.

Although in the following season, Wigan re-established their ascendancy towards greatness, Widnes topped off a golden era by adding the World Club Challenge to their trophy cabinet, a 30-18 defeat of Australia’s infamous Green Machine, Canberra Raiders.

If this episode relates to the Chelsea’s disruption of Manchester United’s dominance, then the future might not bode well for Roman’s army. In the subsequent years, Widnes paid for their frivolous spending, twice almost going into bankruptcy in the mid 1990s. Like other prestigious clubs who suffered from the Super League fall-out, Widnes have yet to really recover, currently plying their trade in the National League after a brief flirt with Super League a few seasons back.

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