Leigh Centurions captain Oliver Wilkes has warned his team-mates to disregard the formbook ahead of their Ladbrokes Challenge Cup sixth round tie at Wakefield Trinity Wildcats on Sunday (2.15pm).
The 35-year-old, who had two stints with the Wildcats earlier in his career, heads back to Belle Vue for the first time leaving the club at the end of the 2013 season.
Wakefield go into the match having lost their last 11 Super League games and though Leigh are unbeaten in 2015, Wilkes is reading nothing into recent results.
“It’s a Challenge Cup tie, so it’s whoever turns up with their A game on the day who will come away with the spoils,” he said.
“Form is temporary, class is permanent. Wakefield have a good squad, and they started really well. Unfortunately for them they’ve been battered by injuries so they’ve found it really difficult to get any momentum.
“They’ve had a few high-scoring games recently, but they’ve been on the wrong side of the scorelines.”
Wilkes, who captained Leigh to Kingstone Press Championship Grand Final glory last season, knows what it’s like to win at Wakefield, and says it’s a credit to everyone at the Centurions to reach this stage of the competition.
“Obviously it’ll be a great achievement to show how far Leigh have come,” said Wilkes, who missed out on the fifth round victory over Salford Red Devils.
“It’s going to be a tough game, especially with them in their own backyard. I know what it’s like to win there and nobody likes to go to Wakefield. It’s a traditional ground where the fans are right on top of you. It’ll be very interesting.”
Tickets for the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup sixth round tie, Wakefield Trinity Wildcats v Leigh Centurions at Belle Vue on Sunday May 17 (2.15pm) cost from £17 for adults, £12 for concessions and just £1 for juniors.
Tickets for the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday August 29 costs from just £20 and can be purchased by visiting www.rugbyleaguetickets.co.uk or calling the Rugby League Ticket Hotline on 0844 856 1113.