First-time Challenge Cup winners Batley Bulldogs aiming to make Wembley bow in 1895 Cup

Opportunities for a Betfred Championship club to appear on British sport’s most famous stage are few and far between so coach Matt Diskin has urged his players to make the most of tomorrow’s big chance. Bulldogs travel to league rivals York City Knights (7.30pm) knowing they are only two wins away from the 1895 Cup final which will be played at Wembley on the same day as the Coral Challenge Cup showpiece.

That makes tomorrow’s match a big one and Diskin insisted Batley Bulldogs will be going all guns blazing, despite the prospect of a home clash with Toronto Wolfpack in five days’ time.

“You can only take one game at a time, but we’ve made no secret of the fact we are taking the 1895 Cup quite seriously,” Diskin said.

“Nobody knows if the competition will go again next year, so when will we as a club next have an opportunity to get to Wembley?

“It could be a long time off so we need to take advantage of those opportunities in front of us.”

York are fourth in the Championship and won 28-24 when the sides met at Bootham Crescent last month, though Batley were 22-18 victors at home in the pre-season Yorkshire Cup.

York will also see it as a realistic chance of reaching Wembley, but Diskin reckons his team have what it takes to upset the in-form North Yorkshire outfit.

“Last time we played them we, literally, handed them 16 points before we even got going,” the Bulldogs boss recalled. “We are confident we’ve got some opportunities to take advantage of when we play them, but we know they are a well-structured side.

“They’ve got good unity and they work hard for each other which takes a team a long way, but we are confident.

“We know if we get our attitude right, deliver what we’ve practiced and get the glimpses of quality we do show for a longer periods we will be all right.”