YORK Acorn ARLC and New Earswick All Blacks face long journeys to reach the third round of the GMB Union National Cup as both travel to deepest Cumbria.

The former take on struggling Flimby, who are rooted to the foot of the Cumberland League's bottom division without a win in nine league games and with a defence which has conceded more than 45 points on average per match.

Acorn coach Alfie Hill unsur-prisingly agreed it was not the tie he would have chosen.

"If we were to get beat it would be the shock of the round, but I can't even see it as a banana skin because they haven't won a game," he said, bemoaning the three-hour-plus trek.

"It's a nothing game that we have to fit in. It's maybe an opportunity for us to rest a couple of players and give one or two of the younger players a chance."

Three of those changes are enforced as experienced trio Darren Callaghan, Gareth Lloyd and Mick Embleton are either unavailable or injured.

All Blacks face a much tougher assignment against Ellenborough Rangers.

To progress, the All Blacks must do what higher-ranked neighbours Heworth could not last year, the Villagers having crashed 18-6 to the Cumberland division one side.

Player-boss Simon Baynes was not bewailing the trek, however. "It's a long trip we could have done without, but we've done well with cup draws generally with a lot of home ties, so we can't really complain."

Their cup form also means their long trip could be rewarded with another good scalp - as will the development made by the club's young players, which, paradoxically, has been aided by recent bad weather.

Unplayable pitches have seen some training sessions confined to the gym, and Baynes reckons that has been beneficial. "It's good for the young players to get their core strength up," he said.

"Their skill factor has been really good, which is testament to the junior coaches, but they need to improve their physical size. That will come with age but it needs work and that has come in training recently."

Updated: 11:43 Thursday, December 08, 2005