YORK City Knights coach Richard Agar believes his team face a tough test after being drawn at his former club Featherstone Rovers in the last 16 of the Challenge Cup.

But Agar also believes that progress to the quarter-finals is not beyond the Knights, who entertain National Division One outfit Featherstone this Sunday in the Arriva Trains Cup and then travel again to Post Office Road on April 9.

Agar was the assistant coach at Featherstone for one-and-a-half years and Knights pair Nathan Graham and Chris Langley are also ex-Rovers players.

Featherstone have won the Challenge Cup three times, as well as reaching the final on two other occasions, and last lifted the trophy in 1983 after a 14-12 victory over Hull.

Agar said: "Obviously as a club we were looking forward to a home draw and possibly a money-spinning tie so to get a National League club away is a tough draw which is made a bit tougher because we play them this week and then again a few weeks later. That's not ideal but, nevertheless, we will go and try and throw the ball around to get a result. It is certainly not a game that's beyond us."

Fifth round draw

Huddersfield v Doncaster, Hull v Castleford, London Broncos v Wakefield, St Helens v Leeds, Batley v East Hull or Whitehaven, Limoux v Wigan, Oldham or Sharlston v Rochdale or Warrington, Featherstone v YORK CITY KNIGHTS. Ties to be played on the weekend of March 13-14.

Updated: 10:49 Tuesday, March 02, 2004