KEIGHLEY prop Ross Peltier admits last weekend’s shock 44-28 home defeat to Doncaster has given his side a huge wake-up call ahead of Sunday's Challenge Cup showdown at York City Knights.

Paul March’s side head to Bootham Crescent to face his old club in a fourth-round tie (3pm) which not only has the prize of possible Super League opposition in round five but may also give pointers to the League One campaign as a whole.

Both clubs have promotion aspirations - both lost to Swinton in last year's play-offs - and Peltier believes success in the cup can help fuel their league campaigns.

He said: “We had a good run in the Challenge Cup two years ago and I think everyone will want to do a lot better after what happened last Sunday.

“Losing to Doncaster the way we did was a shock result and it has woken us up, so it’s about bouncing back against York and doing well in the cup.

“I think we have got the strongest core of any side in this league but Doncaster had players such as Iafeta Paleaaesina from Hull (on dual-reg) and that made a big difference really.

“Attacking-wise we are as good as anyone but we need to improve on our defence and tighten up at York because we want to go as far as we can in the Challenge Cup.

“We beat York last year (in their one league meeting, at Cougar Park, in April) and it will be interesting to see where they are at. It will definitely be a good test for us.”

March’s side reached the quarter-finals of rugby league’s famous old knock-out cup competition in 2014, where an understrength side were beaten 56-6 at Widnes.

The game was memorable for the fact that March, then player-coach for Cougars, was not allowed in the ground due to a two-month stadium ban from the RFL for abusing a match official.

Instead he watched the game on Sky in the nearby Cricketers Arms pub and Peltier remembered: “I started in that quarter-final at Widnes and it was a strange one.

“Marchy had fallen out with the RFL and got his ban, so he said, ‘Right, I’m not going to put a strong side out’, just to make a point to the RFL.

“I remember Sky coming down to training and they were saying, ‘You can’t put this squad out - we want to see players who have played Super League’.

“Everyone put pressure on Marchy and that made him go even further the other way by putting all the young lads out.

“We did a lot better than what people thought we would do, but if we got that far again I’m sure we would put a much stronger team out.”

Meanwhile, March - controversially sacked as York player-boss in 2009 after 20 months in the job - has promised changes to the team that lost to Doncaster.

He said: "People can’t be getting into comfort zones and we’ve got a big enough squad which means there is pressure for places.

“Obviously standards have been set which weren't reached against Doncaster and will have to be against York.”