YORK Acorn coach Leigh Paul-Rientoul has warned his players that they still need to impress this weekend against Hull Dockers, writes Ian Appleyard.

Relegated from the National Conference last weekend, Acorn also dropped to the bottom of the table with two games to play.

The club’s various sponsors have been invited to attend Saturday’s game and Paul-Rientoul is keen to ensure they do not go home disappointed.

“This is our last home game of the season and we have invited all the sponsors in the hope that they will want to sponsor us again next year.” he said.

“I would hate them to go away thinking we don’t care. Sponsorship is massive to this club and we wouldn’t be able to keep going without it.”

The Dockers are next-to-bottom of the table and two points better off so a defeat would guarantee that Acorn finish bottom of the pile.

“I sat all the players down on Tuesday night and said ‘let’s just give everything we have got in these last two games’” added Paul-Rientoul.

“We have to show a bit of passion but it’s hard to motivate players when they know they are already down.”

With Acorn ‘A’ finishing bottom of the Yorkshire Men’s premier league, it has been a dysmal season all round for the men from Thanet Road.

But Paul-Rientoul is convinced that the club will bounce back and is already looking forward to next season.

“It looks like three Yorkshire teams are going down from the premier division and, if Askam win promotion from division two, there will only be one non-Yorkshire team in division one.

“We won’t have as far to travel and there will be more local derbies,” he added.

“It’s bigger for me next year because I will be starting the season as coach rather than taking over seven or eight games in like I have done this season.

“Quality wise, I think we will be good enough to beat anyone in that league next season. We have shocked one or two this season but have never had our strongest team out while I have been in charge.”

After losing 64-6 to a vastly superior West Hull side last weekend, Acorn will be desperate to make amends on Saturday against a side they beat by 10 points in May.

But Joe Porter is away on holiday and Tim Stubbs is out with a broken cheekbone so attacking options are thin on the ground.

Vice-captain Elliot Bulmer is also due to have an x-ray on a swollen eye.

“We don’t want to finish bottom – I don’t want that on my coaching CV,” stressed the Acorn coach. “We want to beat Dockers and then see what we can do in the final game of the season against Pilkington Recs whose season could be over if they lose this weekend.”

Brothers Adam and Nick Speck both look likely to start this weekend.