Hull FC prop Scott Taylor has his sights firmly set on a return to Wembley with his hometown club ahead of Saturday’s Ladbrokes Challenge Cup quarter-final.
They welcome Catalans Dragons to the KC Stadium and despite winning the game’s oldest and prestigious trophy with Wigan Warriors in 2013, Taylor admits it’d be extra special to reach the final with Hull FC.
“It’s amazing to be back playing for my hometown team,” said Taylor. “I was in the crowd in 2005 in Cardiff cheering along when Hull last won the Challenge Cup and if I could be part of a team that goes to Wembley it’d be the best feeling in the world and I know it’d mean everything to my family too.
“Getting to Wembley with Wigan was good but I can imagine it’d be twice as good to do it with Hull. I’d like to think I can use my experience of winning in 2013. I learnt a lot in the build up to that week and winning it, the things that went well, the things that didn’t and I’ll be able to give that input and use it with the boys.
“There’s a lot of players in our team that have played in big games and will be there. It’ll obviously help that I’ve been there and done it already but it’ll be nothing in comparison to going there and doing it with my home town club.”
Taylor is aware that the quarter-final against Catalans Dragons will be a tight contest but says a win on Saturday will be another great addition to an already impressive season.
“Catalans are a tough team to be up against but if we can get the win at home against them and reach a Challenge Cup semi-final and also be top of the table, the season doesn’t really get any better up to now. The Cup means a lot to the club, the history of the club and the fans, it’s somewhere we want to be.
“At home at the KC Stadium in front of a big crowd I think we’ll be able to do the business. I know it’s an old cliché but when we’re at home it really is like having another man on the field. The atmosphere is unbelievable; they’ve really been getting behind the boys. It means everything and the amount of fans we’re getting every week is first class and long may it continue.”