YORK Knights winger AJ Towse admits that the squad are “fired up” at the prospect of playing at Wembley Stadium.

Just 80 minutes stand between the Knights and the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup final under the famous arch following their thrilling 22-18 Betfred Challenge Cup triumph against Newcastle Thunder on Friday night.

But while head coach Andrew Henderson has his sights firmly set on taking things one game at a time, Towse admits that the prospect of silverware is one that is playing firmly on the players’ minds.

“It’s amazing!” he enthused.

“A couple of years ago I got to run water at Wembley and that was one of the best experiences of my life, so to get to actually play at Wembley would be incredible.

“The boys are really fired up for it, and we really want this.”

Read more about the Knights' Challenge Cup so far:

Towse opened the scoring for York in the second half against Newcastle after diving over into the corner, his try providing the platform for the Knights to overturn an eight-point deficit in a much-improved second-half performance.

And the former Heworth youngster admits that, in the moment, all he was thinking about was grounding the ball, saying: “[Newcastle] competed hard, and they’re a good team.

"They fronted up on us defensively and certainly put up a fight, so it was a really close game.

“We knew that we had to go up a gear after half time, and we talked about that, really showing that grit and determination and want for the game.

“It was good work from the boys inside. It was a really good shape and created the space for me on the outside, and it was just a couple of steps and trying to get the ball down without ending up thrown into the stands.

“I think it’s in the moment when the space has opened up, all bets are off and you’ve got to just go for it and hope for the best.”

York Press: Towse was voted our Man of the Match against Newcastle, and dived over into the corner to score the opening try of the second half.Towse was voted our Man of the Match against Newcastle, and dived over into the corner to score the opening try of the second half. (Image: Craig Hawkhead)

York will face London Broncos in the Sixth Round of the Challenge Cup on the weekend of May 19-21.

The draw for the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup Semi-Finals will be made on June 17-18, with ties played on the weekend of July 23-24.