VIKINGS skipper Mark Smith will take a trip down memory lane when Wigan St Judes visit Stobart Stadium on Sunday.

The Widnes stalwart, who joined the club in 2004, made his 150th Vikings appearance in the Co-Operative Championship opener against Keighley Cougars on Sunday – and the Wiganer is eternally grateful for the grounding that former club Judes gave him in the early days of a promising career.

Smith started out playing junior rugby for local club Standish Eagles before moving to St Judes as a teenager.

“It was a bit of a weird start to my rugby career because we had the first lady coach, Carol Fisher, and we got a lot of stick for that,” said Smith. “I think we went a couple of years without winning a game and then I joined Judes at Under 13s/U14s because Standish folded.

“St Judes are a massive club in Wigan with a big history, as are St Pats, and it was a big eye-opener to how good and how fun rugby could be. Then as a 14-year-old I signed for Wigan.”

It was at Judes that Smith really started to find his feet in the game, and the help and advice from the club’s coaching staff has left a lasting impression.

The 28-year-old added: “Ronnie Dootson was my coach at U14s, 15s and 16s with Tommy Gibson and they introduced us to mini pre-seasons and things like that, which was great for me, and Ronnie’s still down there now coaching the open-age.

“Him and Tommy are both ex-pros. Even in 1997, I toured Australia for six weeks and Ronnie was one of the coaches there as well, so he’s had a real massive influence on my career.

“We had a lot of discipline instilled in us from an early age. If you didn’t turn up for training then you wouldn’t get picked, or if you didn’t pay your subs then you’d be on the bench. If you weren’t playing well, you’d get benched or even left out. And that’s the way it was.

“It was a ruthless time, especially being an amateur at 14 and 15, but it was a massive eye-opener to what rugby league is all about.”

Smith was at Judes for three years.

He said: “We had a really good team and I think, out of a 20-man squad, 18 or 19 of us signed professional. I was the only one who signed at Wigan, with the majority of the lads going to Warrington. We were North West Counties champions and I think we went a couple of years unbeaten.

“It certainly stood me in good stead, going to Australia, coming back, signing for Wigan then making my first-team debut within 12 months. It was a bit surreal to be fair, but I do owe St Judes and Ronnie Dootson a lot of respect and a lot of thanks.”

And Smith has a fine Challenge Cup pedigree after winning the 2002 competition with Wigan Warriors against St Helens before being pipped in the following year’s final against Bradford Bulls.

Smith said: “For the first three or four years of my career at Wigan, I was in and out of the side, then in 2002 I had my knee operated on at the beginning of the season and then played the first two rounds of the Challenge Cup, and lo and behold, we make the final at Murrayfield and I’m on the bench and we go out and beat St Helens, where I played about 20 minutes.

“It is a bit of a blur, to be honest. Even when I’ve watched it again, especially when you consider you’ve played in front of over 70,000 people and what went on.

“But the big thing that sticks in my mind is we had an open-top bus around Wigan and the people that lined the streets were phenomenal.

“You realise how much rugby league means to people then and I remember Chris Radlinski sat behind me on the bus and he said, you’ve got to remember things like that as you may never see it again.

“Players spend their entire careers not playing in a final so I’ve been very lucky.”

Vikings coach Paul Cullen intends to mix youth with experience for the third-round tie against St Judes, who sit third in the North West Counties Division Two, two points in front of Widnes St Maries.

Sunday’s game kicks off at 3pm and season ticket holders can gain admittance to the match using their cards, but tickets will be available until kick-off priced £10 adults and £5 concessions.