London Broncos entered the 2025 Challenge Cup with a home encounter against the Hull Vikings, the rugby league’s newest admission to the Championship One for a game at Rosslyn Park with a third-round game against Super League side Wakefield Trinity.

London had struggled in the close season from an administrative perspective since their relegation from the topflight at the end of 2024 with reputedly only twelve registered players, as they took on a brand-new side who had spent the close season gearing up for a season in the semi-professional game with a smattering of players with Super league experience.

There was every chance that Goole could spring a giant killing surprise, but the expectation was that the home side would be making progress, and they were the bookies favourites.

It took eleven minutes of graft for the Broncos to take the lead, scrum half Connor O’Beirne dropping the shoulder and going through a gap to ground and give the Broncos a four-point lead. He attempted the conversion himself but pulled the ball wide of the left upright.

On seventeen the Broncos extended their lead, Sadiq Adebiyi taking a delightful pass from O’Beirne and going through a gap to cross from ten metres, O’Beirne added the conversion, the game going to plan for the Broncos with some comfort on the opening twenty.

On twenty-two Will Lovell was sin-binned for interfering with the restart, London a man down for ten minutes.

Goole were held up over the line on twenty-seven and again on thirty-five as the London defence held strong. But a few seconds before the break the Vikings registered their first professional points of the game with Tom Halliday took a looping pass from Reece Dean to ground in the corner. Dean converted brilliantly from the touchline for a four-point half time deficit.

On fifty-seven Goole were level as the experienced Thomas Minns found a gap on the half way line and skipped his way through the tackles to go fifty metres to score in the corner. Dean was unable to add the extras, Goole right back in the game.

With just under eleven minutes remaining the visitors hit the front as Mackenzie Harman intercepted a wayward London pass to go sixty metres and cross the whitewash to ground by the left upright. Dean found the target with the conversion, Goole with a 16-10 lead.

With five minutes left on the clock Reece Dean kicked a drop goal to seal the win and knock London out of the Cup with seventeen unanswered points.

Goole made a history today with a sensational win in their first professional game in claiming the scalp of London Broncos to give themselves a chance of a major giant killing in a fortnights’ time as they take on Wakefield Trinity. London will lick their wounds and hope for better things on, and off, the field over the coming weeks and months.

London Broncos: Walker, Yates, Ball C, Small, Ryan, Ball L, O’Beirne (T, G 1/2), Bienek, Davies, Worthington, Adebiyi (T), Lovell (SB on 22), Monk. Subs: Polselli, Hursey-Hord, Ross, McDermott. 18th Man: Kiersey.

Google Vikings: Shaul, Halliday (T), Guzdek, Minns (T), Harman (T), Talaupapa, Dean (G 2/3, DG), Coventry, Hodgson, Aldous, Dawson, Ferres, Craig.  Subs: Shaw, Holdstock, Ogunwole, Ellis. 18th Man: Hodder.

Half-Time: 10-6.

Full-Time: 10-17.

Score Progression: 4-0, 8-0, 10-0, (SB), 10-4, 10-6 : HT: 10-10, 10-14, 10-16, 10-17:FT.

Lead Exchanges: London – Square - Goole.

Referee: Ryan Cox.