Sheffield Eagles dealt 'double smack in the chops’ in first game back in more than a year

The Eagles crashed out in the first round of this year’s Challenge Cup after losing 30-6 to Championship rivals York City Knights on Friday – their first match since March 2020 after Covid-19 saw last season declared null and void.

That also ended their hopes of retaining the 1895 Cup – the competition they won at Wembley Stadium its inaugural year in 2019.

A change in format means the tournament contested by teams outside the Super League will begin at the quarter-final stage this year, with the first two rounds of the Challenge Cup serving as qualifiers.

Aston, who famously won the Challenge Cup as a player with Sheffield Eagles in 1998, said before the match: “It’s not how we’d want to defend the cup but it is what it is, we’ve just got to get on with that.

“If we get knocked out on Friday we’re out of the 1895 Cup as well, so that would be a double smack in the chops.”

Still, he said there were ‘plenty’ of positives for his team to take from Friday’s defeat.

"The scoreline flattered them a little bit because we have given them two or three soft tries,” he added.

"The effort, the commitment of my guys was great. You have got to remember they haven’t played for 12 months – and I get that – so we were a little bit rusty.

Unlike York, who opened their new 8,000-capacity stadium with a match against Super League side Hull FC on March 11, the Eagles did not play any pre-season friendlies.

"It’s great to be back," Aston said.

“I know we are disappointed but we have got to dust ourselves down, work hard over the next couple of weeks to get ourselves ready for the tough start to the league season which is important to us.”

After a free weekend this week, Sheffield Eagles begin the Championship season against Bradford Bulls on Sunday, 4 April at Doncaster’s Keepmoat Stadium.