YORK Acorn coach Leigh Paul-Rientoul has described this weekend's National Conference League game as "must-win" in his side's battle to beat the drop.

Acorn sit second bottom in the premier division, having won just two games all season – but with fellow strugglers Lock Lane visiting on Saturday, it could be a chance to fight against what seems to be their impending relegation.

Paul-Rientoul said: "It's a must-win for us, really. If we've got any chance of staying up, we've got to win this game.

"The points difference is six between us. If we don't get these two points, we could be in real trouble."

Yet the Acorn coach was keen to stress the reasons behind his side's poor showing this season.

He said: "It's just been more of a learning curve for us. I keep stressing, the way we went up last year – going up through the play-offs – when you finish fifth in the league out of 12, do you really deserve to go up? Not really.

"Hopefully, if we go back down, we can finish higher and maybe win that league properly, rather than through the play-off system."

Paul-Rientoul was able to find some positives, mainly through the performances of some of his younger, more inexperienced players.

He said: "Matt Chilton, he's 18 years old. Brandon Harris, who's been playing in the first team, he's only 17. We've got some good kids coming through and it's just giving us a chance to let them have a taste of it while we can.

"If we were up at the top competing, it'd mean more to us and then I wouldn't be trying them out. But this is giving me the chance to give them a little taste of it. It gives them a little bit of hunger and they want to come up and do better each week."

Paul-Rientoul has a few faces returning to the squad this weekend, with Chilton back along with Kieran Wood from holiday. Jake Taylor is another returnee but Ashley Woods is still away.

This means that the coach's services should not be required on the playing field, unlike in recent weeks.

Paul-Rientoul said: "The way things are going at the moment, hopefully I'm not going to. If I do, I do. I've got a couple of lads back off holiday, so hopefully it saves me having to play."

Also in contention will be some individuals from the 'A' team.

"The position we're in at the moment, it's giving me a chance to give them a chance," said Paul-Rientoul.

"There could be a couple of them in contention this week but I couldn't really give any names. A couple of them have really stuck out this year and they probably deserve a little chance to play some first-team rugby."

Acorn suffered a heavy loss at the hands of Lock Lane the last time the sides met, in the first game of the season – but the opposition have dropped off since then and Paul-Rientoul has tried to focus on the reasoning for this.

He recalled: "First game of the season was at their place and they beat us 58-12. I think they've lost a few of their players and I don't think they've been doing as well.

"They were predicted at the beginning of the year to be right up there and the reason they've dropped down is because some of their key players have signed to go up a level. Hopefully it's good for us that they're struggling."

Paul-Rientoul added: "If we can get a win on Saturday, then we're at home the next week and we can get out of this relegation.

"We need a win or it could go down to the last game of the season for us to stay up or go down and I've got to keep that in mind."

The Acorn 'A' team travel to Doncaster Toll Bar for a tasty third versus fifth premier division clash in the Yorkshire Men's League.

Meanwhile, Heworth also face tough opposition in the form of third-placed Skirlaugh Bulls 'A' in division one of that competition.

Skirlaugh could go top with a win, while a Heworth victory would pull them clear of the three teams below them in the table.

York Lokomotive travel to Bradford Victoria Rangers in division two for a proverbial four-pointer against the only team beneath them.