By Julian Shea

Cooke proudly holds aloft the Challenge Cup Trophy in 2005

When Paul Cooke crashed over to seal Hull's 25-24 Challenge Cup final win over Leeds last August, it was not just Hull's long wait for a trophy that was over.

After six years away from Wembley, it marked the end of the Cup final's time on the road.

It also signalled the end of the BBC Sport website's Road to Cardiff 2005, which began in January in Fife, and ended in August in South Wales.

So how better to start the Road to Wembley 2006 than with a Yorkshire derby?

The preliminary round of the 2006 Challenge Cup takes place this weekend, and the starting point for the BBC Sport website's Road to Wembley is just outside Leeds, as Normanton Knights take on Hull club Embassy on Saturday.

Any cup match is bound to stir the passions, but especially one that evokes memories of last year's final.

And as Embassy coach Andy Spencely revealed, the club had particular reason to celebrate Hull's dramatic victory.

"Paul Cooke's a former Embassy junior," he told the BBC Sport website.

"He still comes down and coaches our junior teams, and his dad, Roy, is in charge of our U14s.

"When he got the winning try, it was a dream come true for everyone at the club."

Embassy are a long-established club who play in the Hull and District League, and have a comprehensive youth set-up, with teams from U10s through to senior level.

Cooke is not the only top-flight player who started at the club - Huddersfield's Steve Snitch is another Embassy graduate.

They last competed in the Challenge Cup proper four years ago, reaching the fourth round before losing to Barrow, and Spencely thinks this year's team have the quality to go on another Cup run.

"In Hull there are so many amateur clubs that we have a decent pool of players to pick from," he said.

"A couple of our best players are hooker Chris Heslop, and Glenn Matsell - he's been here a long time, but has also played for York, and is an amateur boxer.

"I don't think we've played Normanton before, but as it's a Leeds v Hull game there's definitely pride at stake."

Langley in action in the Super League Grand Final against Leeds

While Embassy are having a decent spell, one level up at National Conference League level, Normanton are finding life tough, and Spencely fancies his team's chances on Saturday.

"Recently we played Stanningley, who are in the same division as Normanton, and we only lost to them after extra-time," he said.

"Afterwards, their coach, the Leeds player Jamie Jones-Buchanan, said if we played like that again against Normanton, then we shouldn't have a problem."

Back in August, as Spencely and Embassy celebrated Hull's win, several of Saturday's opponents were among the massed ranks of stunned Leeds fans.

Like Embassy, Normanton have some links to the Challenge Cup final themselves.

"John Langley, whose son Jamie plays for Bradford, coaches here and is a former Cup winner, with Leeds in the Watersplash final of 1968," says Danny Palmer, who has been involved with the club for 20 years.

John Langley is not Normanton's only connection to the final - former Knights player Dave Topliss was the Lance Todd Trophy winner in the 1979 final when Wakefield lost to Widnes.

The whole Wembley experience is so good that this year people will be even more passionate as they want to play in the first final at the new Wembley Embassy coach Andy Spencely

Coach Ricky Everett is having a tough first season in charge, but Palmer says their lowly league position is not an entirely true reflection of the season so far.

"We're near the bottom of the table but we've played all the top teams and have only lost narrowly," he says.

Saturday's Cup showdown will provide a pleasant diversion from league worries and, after two successive preliminary round ties against the Royal Navy, at least Embassy will provide some new opposition.

But for all the differences between the teams, one thing that unites them is a love for the Challenge Cup final's traditional home, Wembley, where the final will be played on 26 August.

"I'm glad it's back there, it didn't seem to really be the final when it was away," says Palmer.

Spencely agrees that the traditional home is where the game's heart is.

"The whole Wembley experience is so good, everyone wants to play there, so this year people will be even more passionate as they want to play in the first final at the new Wembley," he says.