Swinton Lions drawn against Leigh Miners in the Coral Challenge Cup Fourth Round

Swinton Lions have been drawn at home to Leigh Miners Rangers in the Coral Challenge Cup Fourth Round.

The Lions host the National Conference League Division One side at Heywood Road, with the fixture to be played on either Saturday 22nd or Sunday 23rd February.

The Miners played in the Premier Division of the National Conference League last season. However, they were relegated after finishing 10th with 13 points from 22 matches.

The tie looks to be an interesting one, with coaches from both sides having worked together over pre-season in the past.

Permission given for all photos on Facebook by Emily Parker (photographer) — CC: Emily J Parker

David Rowland, Head Coach for Leigh Miners Rangers spoke to Salford Now about the tie.

He said: “We actually wanted this tie because of our relationship with Swinton Lions. We train with them once a fortnight at the AJ Bell Stadium.

“Alan was our head coach for five years and then he moved over to Swinton Lions. It will be nice to go up against two of my friends on the touchline, and obviously it is great to test ourselves against a professional side.”

Talking about the Miners’ chances in the tie, Rowland made it clear that that there was no pressure on them.

He said: “Every single star in the galaxy would have to align for us to win that game.

“We want to give a good account of ourselves. I think when we have the ball in hand, we can definitely trouble them in certain areas.”

Leigh’s journey so far:

Leigh Miners Rangers have played three matches so far in the Challenge Cup to get to this stage.

Their first round fixture saw them come from behind to win 28-26 against Stanningley on January 11.

? Highlights | @LeighMinersRL 28-26 @StanningleyRL

? @LeighMinersRL fought from behind on Saturday afternoon to book their place in Round 2 of the @Coral #ChallengeCup.

? Second Round draw on @BBCLeeds from 6:30pm! pic.twitter.com/ysTcvp03t9

— The Coral Challenge Cup (@TheChallengeCup) January 14, 2020

They followed this up with a more convincing victory over Upton in the second round, winning 26-6 on January 25.

Leigh then hosted Bentley in the third round of the Challenge Cup, winning 20-4 at Twist Lane on February 8.

The Miners will be hosting Myton Warriors this Saturday at home in Division One, before making the short trip to Swinton next week to try and cause an upset in the Challenge Cup Fourth Round.