Heworth and York Acorn will be aiming for morale boosts on Saturday as their Arriva Trains Conference run-in makes way for the knockout cup.

The Villagers entertain Cumberland League outfit Ellenborough in the Union BARLA National Cup, while Acorn visit Pennine League foes Illingworth.

The two York clubs would be narrow favourites to scrape through but both opponents figure in the top tier of their respective leagues and the standards between those and ATC division two are not far apart.

Heworth knocked fellow ATC division two side Waterhead a fortnight ago - one of their bright points of a dour season - and player-coach Brendan Carlyle is hoping for another plus.

"We could do with a good win this weekend after the game against Waterhead," he said. "It's about morale as much as anything.

"We're still fighting to get out of the bottom two in the league and having a good cup run could give us a boost we need."

Heworth are likely to field a similar side to the one that faced Waterhead, with Lee Clark, whose comeback match at home to arch-rivals Acorn last week was postponed, added to the ranks.

Acorn boss Dave Kay has won the National Cup before as captain of Redhill and says it's a good competition to be in.

"It's a case of morale, doing as well as we can," he said. "We're still a fairly young team and are still learning and the more experience they get in this competition the better stead in will stand them in for the future."

Opponents Illingworth are coincidentally one place above Acorn's victims in the last round, Victoria Rangers, in the Pennine League. Indeed, Illingworth won the league clash between the two sides 16-14 last week.

Kay, who will field an unchanged side, added: "Other than that we know nothing about them."

New Earswick All Blacks could close the gap to third-placed arch-rivals Hunslet Old Boys on Saturday should they defeat lowly Dewsbury Moor in the CMS Yorkshire League senior division.

The sides had been due to clash at White Rose Avenue last week but the game was another to fall foul of the weather.

On-the-up Heworth 'A' visit East Leeds 'A' in YL division three where a victory would see the rejuvenated Villagers reserves leapfrog their opponents to climb off the bottom of the table.

Selby Warriors face a crucial derby fixture on Saturday, and the club follow-up the next day with a fund-raising charity game.

The Warriors visit York Groves in Pennine League division five knowing they need a victory to maintain hopes of promotion, but the Terriers are only one place below them in the table - albeit out of the promotion race - and beat Selby in the York and District Cup earlier in the season.

On Sunday, the Warriors will field a second team in a charity game at home to 209 Signals Squadron, who are based at Catterick.

The match is to raise funds to help tackle Motor Neurone disease, and there is a trophy at stake. Any player who fancies a run-out with the Warriors team is asked to get to the ground at 10.30am for an 11.30am start.

The Signals Squadron have just completed a six-month tour of duty in Iraq and it will be there first game after restarting their team.

PL division five leaders York Acorn 'A's title aspirations come under the microscope as they tackle third-placed Undercliffe.

The Blue and Golds reserves have won 15 of their 16 games this term but are only two points ahead of both Thornton and Saturday's visitors Undercliffe. They have games in hand on the latter but a defeat could see Thornton, who face lowly Wetherby, draw level on points with the same number of games played.

Updated: 10:33 Thursday, March 04, 2004