Telford Raiders: Shropshire-based rugby league club aiming for Challenge Cup upset

Successful as Telford have been, the West Midlands currently only hosts one semi-professional team in League One’s Midlands Hurricanes, who are based in Perry Barr in Birmingham.

Baker believes a deep link with the community, such as the one Telford have cultivated, helps nurture a sustainable environment for clubs outside the heartlands.

“There is no reason, just because you’re born in Wolverhampton, why you couldn’t be the best rugby league player in the world, and I think we just have to keep trying to give people as many opportunities as possible,” he continued.

“There’s been examples over the years of rugby league expanding in terms of dropping a professional club in the middle of somewhere that has actually been a rugby league desert and with no infrastructure around it and for me that has never really worked.

“Whereas if you can have a link between that professional club and an established community game in the way that I think has happened at the London Broncos over the last few years, then you’ve got the real opportunity to grow your own players, grow your own fan base.”

With Super League clubs entering the Challenge Cup from an earlier third round stage from this season, and with all 12 clubs travelling away from home to kick off their campaign, the Raiders are technically two wins away from a potential huge home tie against a big team.

However, the Raiders have had to wait for their debut in the competition as the recent cold weather put paid to the tie’s initial fixture date last weekend.

“We’ve joked that if we beat Mayfield and then beat Oldham, then hopefully we’ll get Wigan at home,” Baker said.

“We’ve got a mountain to climb. It’s a fantastic opportunity. I really hope the players enjoy themselves. I know that they’ll go out and give. The best performance they can.”