Kear is backing his players to shake off their recent poor league form when Wildcats take on Hull at Doncaster's Keepmoat Stadium tomorrow in the club's first Challenge Cup semi-final for 29 years.

Wakefield are on a four-game losing run, including a home defeat by Hull two weeks ago, and Kear said: "We have got to play much better, there's no doubt about that."

But he added: "The fact is, the players are fully aware that this is an opportunity – a golden opportunity – to appear in a major final. We have got some players who've done that – such as Brad Drew with Huddersfield, Danny Brough with Hull, Ricky Bibey with Wigan and St Helens and Danny Sculthorpe with Wigan – but we have also got a whole host of people who've never appeared in a final and would do anything to do that.

"I know they are very highly motivated, but my job is to keep their feet on the ground, so they go through the processes of rugby league and don't get carried away with the occasion."

Kear – who is on course to become the first coach to win the Challenge Cup with three different clubs – believes recent form will count for nothing in front of a sell-out crowd tomorrow.

"The form book goes out of the window," he insisted. "What the Challenge Cup provides is a one-off occasion, that's the beauty, the history and the tradition of it.

"There has always been shocks. Hull will be saying they will tear up the form book and throw it out of the window, because until the last few weeks they've had a scratchy sort of a season.

"I think our last month's form has been scratchy as well, but I couldn't care less about that – it will all be down to the day and what happens between 3.30 and 5.10 on Sunday.

"That period of time will determine who deserves to go to Wembley."

Kear coached Hull to a memorable Challenge Cup final win over Leeds Rhinos three years ago and their squad for this weekend includes several survivors from that game.

"They've probably got more experience in big games than we have," said the Wakefield boss.

"They've been in a Challenge Cup final and a Grand Final in recent years, but the fact is when I took Sheffield Eagles to Wembley we played Wigan and they had much more big game experience.

"Look at that result. That's very similar to what could happen on Sunday, it is all about what happens on the day."