HEAD coach Mick Cook reckons York City Knights' Powergen Challenge Cup fifth round trip to holders St Helens will be a great experience - but warned there was a lot of work to be done before then.

The Knights booked their place in the hat with a stunning 32-28 win at LHF National League One side Oldham yesterday and were then handed a daunting trip to Knowsley Road in the next round.

Saints, the most successful side of the Super League era and currently second in the top tier, went through by winning 26-22 at Super League rivals Huddersfield, the side that knocked out the Knights in last year's quarter-finals.

Cook said: "It's perhaps not the draw we were looking for - Saints are a quality side with a good chance of winning the competition - but we're pretty happy with it.

"You can't pick your opposition. We don't really expect to come away with anything but the players are looking forward to it. It will be a good experience for some of them.

"But we've got some business to do before that match. It isn't till next month and we've got some tough NL2 games before then, starting at Keighley next week."

As for his side's chance of causing one of the biggest-ever Cup shocks, he said: "You never know what will happen on the day. It's a big ask for us, but as long as we enjoy the day and put in a decent performance we will be happy with whatever happens.

"We want to go there, play well and give a good account of ourselves."

He joked: "John Guildford (Knights majority shareholder) has already volunteered to be the referee so we might get a bit of luck there."

Guildford was delighted with the draw. "It's a fantastic draw for us and I'm sure we will perform on the day," he said.

Cook reckoned yesterday's topsy-turvy encounter was one for the fans to enjoy.

"It was a game for the spectators," he said. "Both coaches and staff, and probably the players too, would have been at their wits' end at times. It was end-to-end play, with breaks coming and some good defence. It had a bit of everything."

It was only the Knights' third win of the season and Cook hopes it will kick-start their league campaign.

"We spoke through the week about not reaching our potential and I still think there's more to come," he said.

"We're playing well in periods but then coming off the gas. But I think we enjoyed it yesterday, even though it was a lot of hard work."

The game could have gone either way, with both sides having tries ruled out, one of which was from Knights hooker Lee Jackson in the dying moments, which would have sealed the game with a few nerve-racking minutes to go.

Cook said: "Jacko assures me he did not lose the ball, so it could have been a frustrating afternoon for us. But we've done enough to win the game and I'm proud of the way we defended and of some of our offensive game. It was a good all-round effort.

"Oldham have a lot of good players and when they click they're a dangerous side. It was a good test for us and we've come away on a positive note."

Updated: 10:39 Monday, April 04, 2005