Orrell St James progress in Challenge Cup with community spirit hailed by head coach

The current North West Men’s Premier Division champions impressed at home in the opening round, with coach McHugh admitting his outfit had only recently returned to pre-season with just two training sessions ahead of kick-off.

The tie attracted one of the club’s biggest-ever crowds on Sunday, broadcasted live by The Sportsman.

“It was a really good effort from us, I was really pleased with the lads,” he said.

“The coverage was great. I know it’s the Challenge Cup, but it’s the community game that they’re showcasing.

“It’s really good because the lads get a chance to have a run-out in front of the cameras, something they wouldn’t normally do. It’s massive for them and the support from The Sportsman and BBC is great.

“There were well over a thousand people there as well, it was brilliant.

“We get decent crowds at Orrell, but nothing like that. There was probably more there on Sunday than a League 1 game.

“It was nice to get people down there and to show off the facilities that we’ve got and that we’ve worked hard on over the last few years.

“The facilities allow for the cameras to come, so that’s another positive. Our club is up to the standards of the professional game.

“It’s nice for the rest of the club to also come and see the first-team, and the kids to see what they can achieve and the chance to play in front of cameras.

“I was really proud of the lads and the way they showcased themselves.”

McHugh has also hailed the community spirit of the club, with all 17 match-day players born in Orrell.

He continued: “The massive thing for us is that the community gets to come out and see the local lads.

“All 17 of our players are from the community of Orrell. It’s massive for us that we have that community connection. It’s a massive community thing for us at Orrell that we pride ourselves on.”

The club, boasting a proud history and the production of stars such as Jonny Lomax and Kevin Brown, will once again play in front of The Sportsman’s cameras in the second round against National Conference League Premier club York Acorn on Sunday, January 28.

The club’s first involvement in the prestigious cup competition was against the same upcoming opponents, with McHugh himself having played in the clash back in the 1990s.

“The first time we ever played in the Challenge Cup in 1993, we played York Acorn. We played them away and drew. We then played them at home and beat them,” he said.

“That’s the only time we’ve played them in the Challenge Cup previously. They’re three or four divisions above us, but that won’t hold any fear for us because we’ve played NCL Premier teams before and beat them, and we just fell short to Midlands Hurricanes last year.

“They’ll come as favourites but if we play to the best of our ability, I’m confident that we can get the result.”