Sports editor Mike Parsons gives his opinion on how the previous six semi finals under Tony Smith can help out The Wire against Wakefield at Leigh Sports Village on Saturday

THE current generation of Warrington Wolves supporters know more about the highs and lows of Challenge Cup semi finals than any from the past.

Never in the competition’s 118-year history have The Wire experienced a sequence of last-four emotions as they have during Tony Smith’s reign.

Saturday’s meeting with Wakefield Trinity Wildcats at Leigh Sports Village is the club’s seventh opportunity in eight years to book a ticket to the wonderful occasion that is Challenge Cup Final day at Wembley Stadium.

After three cup final wins between 2009 and 2012 it must have seemed to some of the club’s newer fans that a primrose and blue excursion to London was always in the bag once the quarter-final hurdle was overcome, but that has certainly not been the case since losing to Hull FC at Huddersfield three years ago.

Looking back to when the journey started under Smith, there was plenty of nervousness when Wigan started to fight back in the 2009 semi.

Although Smith’s men had clearly been dominant, it was Wolves’ first last-four appearance since losing to the cherry and whites in 2004 and fear was never far away that once again 2009 might not be Wire’s year.

When jet-heeled Australian winger Chris Hicks left scorches in the Halton Stadium grass on his way to what was ultimately the winning try, the roar of jubilation heard across the plains of Cheshire were a catalyst for the tears of joy deep enough to send the Mersey into flood alert.

That moment of rugby league exhilaration, after the hurt of 35 years without a Challenge Cup win, brought an outpouring like never before for Warrington fans and the memory still sends a shiver down the spine.

Still living on that year’s glorious Wembley defeat of Huddersfield – and the incredible scenes of 100,000 turning out on the streets to welcome the team home – Wire fans filled Widnes’ ground on their own for the 2010 final hurdle with Catalans Dragons.

The performance on the pitch was as one-way as the support base as Wolves, with the help of a hat-trick from future Catalans back rower Louis Anderson, sent fans into a frenzy again with another passage to Wembley where Leeds Rhinos were crushed.

After back-to-back triumphs in the competition for the first time in the club’s history it was Wigan who ended the run in the 2011 quarter finals, but a squad being hailed locally as the new ‘Cup Kings’ were back in the last four a year later and leaving Huddersfield chasing shadows at the AJ Bell Stadium in Salford.

With a record-breaking triumph over Leeds then registering a third cup win in four years, and all after the semi finals had been wins built on whirlwind starts, perhaps there was some complacency in the camp when The Wire faced mid-table Hull in the 2013 penultimate round.

There were differences. For the first time in four semi finals Warrington were having to travel into Yorkshire and their supporters would be outnumbered.

And despite a strong start to the tie, Wolves suddenly found not everything was going their way, with Tom Lineham’s long-distance try from a kick return for Hull being a prime example.

While Smith’s men tried to get their heads around that, the Hull players sniffed it could be their day.

One of them was Jacob Miller, who is now Wakefield's big dangerman.

He was a teammate of current Wire players Joe Westerman and Tom Lineham when Hull FC defeated Wolves in that semi final.

Now the 23-year-old stand off is the linchpin of a Wildcats side that is attempting to make it a competition record four successive semi-final defeats for Wolves.

Wakefield’s 2015 player of the year has been in stunning form during his second season at Belle Vue.

His running ability off a tricky sidestep has always handed defences problems, but he has grown in the areas of game management and tactical kicking which makes him one of Wakefield’s biggest threats at the Leigh Sports Village.

Miller, who was the first-choice half back at Wests Tigers in the NRL at the start of the 2013 season, went on to play in the final at Wembley, as did Westerman.

It was a let-down of a day for them though, with Hull FC losing 16-0 to Wigan in a poor final.

For Lineham it was even more disappointing, having missed the occasion with a broken leg.

They will be looking for amends courtesy of another Wembley chance with their new clubs.

Fans wearing primrose and blue were left shattered with that 2013 loss to Hull FC, as they were again a year later when a Leeds side that had ruined The Wire’s 2013 Grand Final debut at Old Trafford did not have to particularly shine to dispose of a side that failed to show up at St Helens in the 2014 Challenge Cup semi final.

None of those spirit sinkers compared to the feelings felt last year though.

Huge favourites Warrington were undone by a Hull KR side that, like their Humberside neighbours two years before, showed that enthusiasm and hunger can take you a long way.

And backed at Headingley by vociferous supporters probably outweighing The Wire choir by two-to-one, an early party for new Wolves signing Chris Sandow as he watched from the sidelines was well and truly pooped.

Those lessons must be learnt for Saturday if The Wire are to take their primrose and blue carnival to hallowed territory on Saturday, August 27.

Wakefield coach Chris Chester, the man who masterminded Wolves’ downfall for the Robins last year, is in position to try to do the same again.

He knows what worked last time, and the similarities in taking an unfancied club to the cup final is a sobering thought for anyone believing The Wire have the easiest draw.

Chester will feel he has unfinished business, too, after the way Hull KR disappointed in the cup final loss to eventual treble winners Leeds.

If Wolves can consider being beaten in recent semi finals as a motivator to go one better, then beware the Chester factor because there is no worse place to lose than Wembley.

Quite simply, Wolves must bring their ‘A’ game on Saturday.