Hull FC v Castleford Tigers – History makes Daryl Powell target Challenge Cup triumph

They head to Hull FC in the sixth round on Friday night hoping to take the first step to potentially lifting the famous trophy for the first time in 25 years.

Castleford have only won the competition on four occasions in their long history – 1935, 1969, 1970 and 1986 – but there are numerous references to those glories at their traditional home.

Powell hopes this side will become the latest to be emblazoned on the side of a stand or adorn the boardroom.

“The Challenge Cup has a bit of freshness about it because you can put the League table out the way,” he said.

“Obviously there’s a little bit of pressure because it’s a one-off game and you are either in or you are out of the cup.

“We went pretty close to winning it in 2014 when Leeds were a little bit too good for us on that day (at Wembley) and we all saw first hand what it meant to the supporters.

“You only have to look around the ground to see quite a few reminders of how important the Challenge Cup has been to this club down the years.”

Castleford face a stiff opening tie, though, against the club that won the trophy back-to-back in 2016 and 2017.

“Hull have been up and down a bit with results lately, but they’ve been similar to us in that they’ve had a lot of players missing,” added Powell, whose own side have lost their last three games to slip down to seventh, two places behind FC.

“It’s been a bit of a theme with teams this year but this is a big game as the Challenge Cup is massive. Everybody wants to win it and I think every year is the same; I don’t think you ever go into it saying you’ll focus more on Super League than the Challenge Cup.”

Meanwhile, England Academy prop Lewis Peachey, 18, has signed a new two-year deal with Castleford until the end of 2021.