 Eccles held the record at the Salford Reds for most consecutive appearances by a forward at 103 without missing a game over four seasons including Super League and Challenge Cup Games.Cliff left the Salford Reds before the start of the 1999 season to join former Salford player turned coach Mike Gregory in his first head coaching role at Swinton Lions.Eccles stayed with Gregory at Swinton for one season and then joined the Widnes Vikings with Colin Whitfield as head coach; after one season Eccles retired from the game with damaged knee ligaments.