Orrell's youngsters will be looking to captain Ian Wynn for guidance as they prepare to enter fortress Kingsholm.

For most of the players at the struggling Lancashire Second Division club, Saturday's fifth-round Tetley's Cup tie at Gloucester will be a daunting step into the unknown.

But Wynn, a 31-year-old design engineer, knows what it is like to emerge triumphant in front of the famous Shed, having played for Orrell in their heyday of the early 1990s, when the club twice reached the Cup semi-finals and finished runners-up in the championship to Bath.

"I've been to Gloucester a few times. They were always close, tough games. We won a few and lost a few," he said.

"I remember winning there once. It was a close game, a few years ago now. Their crowd always appreciate a decent side having a go and we'll go down there and try to enjoy it and see what happens."

Orrell, once a name to be feared, are now deep in relegation trouble in the Second Division, one of the most notable casualties of the move to professionalism four years ago.

No wealthy benefactors appeared on the scene at Edge Hall Road, leaving the club to cut their cloth accordingly.

"It's a bit sad but I don't think there is a lot that can be done,'' said Wynn. "We are not one of the more glamourous clubs that people are going to pour money into. It's just a pity.

"It was the highlight of my career, playing against all the big names. They can't take that away from you. It's a pity the financial situation doesn't allow Orrell to compete with those teams any more."

Made up entirely of part-time players, Orrell are experiencing the ever-widening gulf between the game's elite and the also-rans.

Wynn said: "Sides like Leeds and Worcester in the Second Division are quite a way ahead of the rest of the pack. They've got the money and are training full-time. It's a step-up again into the First Division.

"We've got to consolidate for a few years and see what happens. It's a case of doing the best you can with what you've got.

"We've got quite a few up-and-coming players, the hard bit will be keeping hold of them. Young David Slemen, son of Mike, is a good footballer but he's injured at the moment.

"We've also got a back row that is full of young, raw-boned lads so they will do well at Gloucester."

Wynn was one of the players who left Orrell in 1996 to try his luck with the professional ticket, but after spells at Leeds and Wakefield he returned across the Pennines two years ago and played in all but three of the club's 26 matches last season.

A member of the side that lost to Leicester in the Cup semi-final six years ago, Wynn is realistic enough when it comes to assessing Orrell's chances of victory at Kingsholm.

"They're one of the best sides in the country at the moment," he said.

"To be honest, we were never going to win the Cup. We've a few young lads in our side and it will be a good experience for them to go down there and see what the top sides in the country are playing like.

"We're on a big learning curve at the moment and there's no better way of learning than playing against the best.

"I don't know many of the Gloucester players now but we will be sitting down and watching a video of their match last Saturday.

"Hopefully there will be a good pay day for the club, but the most important thing is what we can get out of it for the young lads.

"They have got to get experience somehow and there's no better place than Gloucester in front of a big crowd."

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