Noble puts Cup 'on back burner'

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A convincing 28-6 quarter-final win over a battling but ultimately outclassed Salford got Wigan to within 80 minutes of a first Wembley appearance for 11 years.

"We put it on the back burner," said Noble, whose side are still outside the engage Super League's top eight. "We're in the hat, that's the main thing."

One more victory would mean a first trip to the national stadium for Noble, who reached four semi-finals as a player with Bradford and, as coach, took the Bulls to three finals while Wembley was being rebuilt.

Noble will naturally keep an ear out for Sunday's draw but the semi-finals are 10 weeks away and, in the meantime, he is hoping his side can transform their Cup form into their ailing Super League campaign.

"Our next couple of games are important for us. We need to get back to winning ways in the Super League," he added.

"If we do, we might go into the last half of the season in a good position - the semi-final of the Challenge Cup and hopefully in the top eight."

Salford coach Shaun McRae, who admitted his players failed to handle the occasion, must quickly pick them up for their return to the JJB Stadium in the League next Friday.

While Noble is happy to forget about the Cup for at least two months, McRae reckons the Warriors are a good bet to lift the trophy.

"The Cup competition is very open but of course they are capable of winning it," he said. "They have the culture, the experience and certainly they've got a team capable of performing on a big stage. There is no reason why they can't win it."