Round Four: Fax head to Eagles, Siddal hoping to keep home advantage
HALIFAX AND Siddal avoided each other in Monday night’s fourth round Challenge Cup draw, with Fax paired with Championship rivals Sheffield and Siddal facing either Newcastle Thunder or Keighley.
Fax, who beat the Eagles in last weekend’s league opener thanks to a late Oliver Roberts try, must travel to South Yorkshire, although the date and venue for the game are yet to be confirmed.
Crucially, Siddal - who beat NCL rivals West Hull in round three - have been drawn at
Chevinedge, where they will fancy their chances of giving the winner of this weekend’s Thunder-versus-Cougars tie a run for their money, if they are allowed to keep home advantage.
“We’re in discussions with the RFL at the moment,” said Siddal’s Joe McCormack.
“We’ve already played Newcastle at home in 2016 and we hosted Toronto the following season.
“But those were both round three games and the ground criteria change for round four.
“We’ve got a list of things we’re working through, but we don’t want to give up home advantage unless we absolutely have no choice.”
For Fax, whose run through to a courageous semi-final defeat by St Helens in 2019 effectively salvaged their season, the trip to play the Eagles - in a game that is apparently interesting the BBC, which could prompt a switch to Saturday - is a tough test, but one which offers the chance of progress.
“I don’t think it’s a bad tie, and I’m sure Sheffield will be thinking exactly the same, which means we will be in for a very tough and difficult game again,” said coach Simon Grix.
All games will be played on the weekend of February 22/23. Draw: Rochdale Hornets or York Acorn v British Army, Whitehaven v Dewsbury Rams, North Wales Crusaders v Hunslet, Sheffield Eagles v Halifax, Workington Town or West Bowling v Doncaster, Bradford Bulls v Underbank Rangers, Featherstone Rovers v Barrow or London Skolars, London Broncos v York City Knights, Swinton Lions v Leigh Miners Rangers, Leigh Centurions v Batley Bulldogs, Siddal v Keighley Cougars or Newcastle Thunder, Widnes Vikings v Oldham