Wigan may be rank outsiders for the FA Cup but their name is synonymous with Wembley cup finals – just not in football.

Wigan Athletic and their supporters this weekend make a journey made many times by their rugby league counterparts in previous years.

The Warriors, as they are now known, have almost made the Challenge Cup their own at times, not least the spell from 1988 to 1995 when they triumphed eight times in succession at the national stadium.

They have won the competition a record 18 times, most recently in 2011, but while Wigan may be the most evocative name in rugby league, they are mere minnows in the football world.

For a club only admitted to the Football League in 1978, not promoted to the top flight until 2005 and having spent the past four years battling against relegation, emulating the Warriors to become Wembley winners would be no small achievement.

Wigan Athletic receive plenty of brickbats for the size of their support, the inference being that, with average crowds of 19,000, they do not belong in the Premier League.

But that figure is still treble what it was a decade ago, with many other football fans in the area enticed by the nearby giants of Manchester and Merseyside.

The challenge for the Latics is now to capitalise on their Wembley appearance to give youngsters fewer reasons to declare their love for Manchester United, Liverpool, or their cup final opponents Manchester City.

The only frustration is that their achievement in reaching the final for the first time is being overshadowed by yet another battle against relegation, and one that is not going well for Roberto Martinez’s men.

Wigan are three points adrift of safety with just two games left to save themselves after a damaging loss to Swansea in midweek.

The implications of succeeding in both challenges over the final week of the campaign, with European football also on the way next season, could be significant for the club and town.