“WE could do with Halifax probably getting three or four lads sent off in the first five minutes - and even then it might be tight!”

So joked York Acorn boss Josh Mortimer as his side prepare to take on Betfred Championship side Halifax Panthers in the fifth round of the Betfred Challenge Cup this afternoon.

Acorn have enjoyed a fantastic run in the historic competition thus far, seeing off Orrell St James, Betfred League One semi-pro’s Cornwall, and top-end NCL team Wath Brow Hornets to reach this stage of the competition.

But Halifax, who ply their trade in the same division as York Knights, will undoubtedly prove their toughest test to date.

Having dramatically missed out on a spot in the play-offs last term to Andrew Henderson’s Knights, their off-season signings have included England international Gareth Widdop and former Castleford Tigers winger Greg Eden.

“I’ve had people come up to me and say it’s a winnable game, but I’m not sure it is to be brutally honest,” Mortimer told BBC Radio York.

“We could do with Halifax probably getting three or four lads sent off in the first five minutes - and even then it might be tight!

“Gareth Widdop, he’s won the NRL, he’s a cracking player. It’d be interesting to do a player profile along Ant Chilton or Nathan Conroy or someone like that! I’m not sure the comparisons would completely be in Widdop’s favour, I’ll be honest.

“We will probably have a similar sort of target than what we did against Cornwall. 

“There’s no pressure on us. If we go and get hammered, we get hammered because that’s what’s expected of us.”

York Press: Acorn celebrate their Challenge Cup third round triumph at Cornwall.Acorn celebrate their Challenge Cup third round triumph at Cornwall. (Image: Supplied)

Mortimer stressed that it was all about celebrating the little wins for his side - a good carry, forcing an error, and of course a try.

“We’ll just set little goals just about how we start the game, our kick-chase, things that we can control that we can come up with small wins from that.

“Another target will be to celebrate the small wins if someone gets a decent contact and forces an error or if someone has a good carry.

“We have to create the atmosphere for ourselves to create those buzzes.

“Obviously there’s nothing more buzzing than scoring a try and winning the game, but they’re going to be hard to come by.

“We’ve just got to keep things very relaxed. We don’t want to put too much pressure on ourselves.

“Halifax are a fantastic team, and we’re trying not to worry about anything. We just want to try and go out and show what we’re about.

“If we can push and upset the apple cart for a little bit of time, we’ll be very happy with that.”