THERE’S never a bad time to get to Wembley.
But chief executive Martin Vickers feels Featherstone Rovers’ return there for what will be a repeat of the 2021 1895 Cup final, in which York Knights were beaten 41-34, will provide a particularly important pick-me-up.
It’s been a testing and frustrating run of seasons for the Featherstone faithful, with a string of failed attempts to win promotion to Super League being followed by a tough 2024 campaign when on a reduced budget, Rovers only just edged into the play-offs – and fell at the first hurdle at Bradford Bulls.
A string of close-season signings lifted optimism ahead of this year, but there was early disruption when coach James Ford departed.
Paul Cooke stepped up from assistant, fetching in Ged Corcoran, with whom he had worked on a staff at York, adding an extra dimension to Saturday’s second showdown of the season between the sides.
Featherstone won the first 24-22 at their Millennium Stadium home, but that was one of only three victories in Cooke’s first nine matches at the helm, the others coming in the 1895 Cup (against Keighley Cougars and London Broncos).
However after that came league wins over Widnes Vikings and Batley Bulldogs either side of an eye-catching 40-14 semi-final success at Oldham.
And Vickers feels the club’s seventh trip to Wembley, where they have won on three of five Challenge Cup final appearances, the last against Hull FC in 1983, can be a springboard to a Rovers resurgence.
“It’s a big boost for everyone, especially the fans,” he explained.
“They played a big part in the win at Oldham, because it’s a daunting place to go, and they’re really getting on board with Wembley, a venue this club has a special affinity with historically.
“We have really close ties with the community, and this gives us a chance to strengthen those links even more, engage a new generation of supporters and just raise our profile.
“With the help of our foundation, we’re having blue and white days in local schools, with players going in, and it’s starting to feel like the whole town is getting the buzz.
“We’re having an open training session on Friday morning, and we’re hoping more than 2,000 will see the lads off.”