WHERE else to start this column other than the Powergen Challenge Cup draw. We've been handed one hell of a tie away to St Helens but it's one we'll relish.

I'm not a betting man so I don't know the odds, but if you ask any pundit or bookie, they'll say we haven't got a hope.

We've just got to make our own chances and if we can upset them a little bit and maybe spring a few surprises on them, hopefully we can put up a good show.

We had quite a good record against Saints when I was a player at Sheffield. We got a few hidings but it was probably about 50-50 over the years.

They always play a really expansive game, a really quick game with lots of pacy players, but they've always had a bit of size about them as well.

That's something I can always remember coming up against as a player after a started out as a professional in 1987.

Keiron Cunningham, their Great Britain hooker, was just starting his career while I was still playing and Chris Joynt, who retired in the off-season, was knocking about then as well. They also had the likes of Kevin Ward and Apollo Perelini, who is their conditioner now. It wasn't much fun being tackled by him.

The Knights can't have been handed a bigger test. Saints have been the most successful club in the Super League era and on their day they can take anybody to the cleaners. Their form this season has perhaps not been as consistent as they'd like, and they just scraped past Huddersfield in the last round, but they are a very dangerous team and right up there in Super League with designs on the Grand Final as well as the Cup.

Their coach, Ian Millward, is a very knowledgeable man with a very good record. He's a bit of a character as well. He speaks his mind and you need people like that in the game. He doesn't hold back sometimes but he's a smart operator with experience in Australia as well as over here and he must be one of the most successful coaches in British rugby league, particularly in the Super League era.

I reckon he will field his strongest team against us because he knows there can always be a shock pulled off by a lower team and he will want to make sure they get in the quarter-finals. It will no doubt provide an excellent experience for our lads.

We'll prepare for the game as we would any other game and I don't envisage us turning to our tie-up with Leeds Rhinos for assistance - unless they'd like to lend us Kevin Sinfield, Ryan Bailey and a few others.

Nobody will give us a chance but we'll just make sure we're strong as a unit and try to help make the occasion an enjoyable one for the supporters.

However, the Saints game is in the future and we've got a few very important games before then, with Sunday's game at Keighley the one we're concentrating on now.

It won't be too difficult focusing on these games rather than the Cup tie. We're on the road again and it will be a difficult test for us but with only 18 games in the league season we know we can't afford to let too many slip as the season quickly gets shorter and shorter.

We don't feel any more pressure because of that but we're aware of the situation and we're just trying to get that necessary consistency to our play. Hopefully we can kick on from the Cup win at Oldham, keep that same enthusiasm and get the results we want.

Updated: 08:33 Wednesday, April 06, 2005