YORK Acorn ARLC face probably their most important fight of the season as their relegation battle deepens – but boss Scott Rhodes remains confident his side can escape the mire.

The Blue and Golds are at the foot of the National Conference premier division, three points from safety, but on Saturday would climb off the bottom should they win at Wigan St Jude’s, who are one place and one point above them.

There are then eight games left for Acorn to claw their way up the standings.

Rhodes said: “We’ve said before that every game from now till the end of the season is a big game. Looking at our fixture list, they’re all winnable games.

“I know we lost to West Hull at the weekend but it was there for us and it was possibly our best performance since I came in, and we were just a bit unlucky.

“We just did the wrong things at the wrong times at the back end of the game and they scraped a win.

“Siddal away, on paper, is probably our hardest game of the run-in but I’m confident this team can go out and win games.”

Rhodes is trying to keep a settled team for now but good displays by Martin McTigue in the high-flying ‘A’ team may win the forward a call for Saturday’s trip to Wigan.

Fellow prop Nicky Caldwell is also back from his lengthy ban but he is likely to play for the reserves.

Heworth have a break from their battle to escape to the re-election zone in division two as they have no game, while their first team go to Methley Royals in Yorkshire League division three looking to bounce back from last week’s CMS Cup defeat at Northallerton.

Acorn ‘A’s unbeaten run in division two will come under scrutiny at third-placed Batley Boys.