BOSS Dave Kay has warned against complacency ahead of York Acorn ARLC's clash with Saddleworth Rangers on Saturday.

The Pennines side have only one win from their opening nine National Conference League division two games and were hammered 52-4 by Ince Rosebridge last week, while Acorn are riding high in the promotion frame.

But Day said: "The thinking is we should come away with the result but we've been telling the boys we can't take anything for granted, the game has still to be won regardless of what position Saddleworth are in.

"They haven't struggled as much of late, barring the big loss last week, and we can't take it lightly."

Acorn will miss in-form hooker Michael Fitzsimmons and prop Mick Hagan, both unavailable, but Day has natural replacements in Fran Starkey and Lee McTigue, who started as subs last week.

Danny Liddell, Paul Day, Alan Willitts and Andy Hen-son could all be available again and are set to fight it out for the spare seats on the bench.

Two clubs on differing upward curves meet in Cumbria when Millom host Heworth. Millom have spent the last few years in the league's doldrums, finishing at the foot of the pile in the last two years.

But a blistering start to this season took them to top spot after five wins from six games and, although two defeats have brought them back into mid-table, they are clearly not the pushovers they were.

Meanwhile, Heworth, who were also re-election fodder last season, began this term stuck in the mire but a recent mini-revival has brought renewed optimism to Elmpark Way and lifted them out of the bottom two.

They still need to increase their win tally, though, and spokesman Ken Sykes warned of the tough trip ahead.

"Millom are having a much better season than in the recent past," he said.

"Normally we win over there but it won't be a banker on Saturday. Even when they've been struggling, they have always been quite tough, close games on the end of a long journey over there.

"They're always quite hard to beat on their own ground and this isn't going to be any different."

Coach Alfie Hill is likely to stick to a similar team that was pipped at the death by Ovenden last week, though Nikki Wilson is unavailable.

Most NCL games now kick off at 2pm. Heworth home matches will remain 2.30pm.

Updated: 09:34 Thursday, November 04, 2004