Nestle Rowntree travel north tomorrow as they go for glory in the North Riding County Cup and a hat-trick of Teesside League scalps.

The West Yorkshire League champions face a tough quarter-final tie at third-placed Nunthorpe. But Nestle have already knocked out two sides from that league - champions Grangetown and Stockton - and boss Jim Collis is hopeful they can complete a treble.

"I've run a team in our local league, the Northern Counties East League, the WYL and the Teesside League, and I've always said the Teesside League is the hardest of the lot," he said.

"It might not be the best football-wise but it's the most competitive. The top three or four will do well anywhere."

Nestl, who have won the county cup twice, also topped the Teesside League in the early 1990s before they switched to the WYL.

"Teams tend to play physical and when they wear you down they start to knock it around and play football," said Collis.

"I know what I'm expecting and it's up to the lads to do the business. We'll go there prepared and if we can get a good result it will be brilliant."

The match kicks off at 1pm as extra-time and penalties might be needed.

York RI, second bottom of the WYL, entertain fifth-placed Beeston St Anthony's tomorrow (ko 2.30pm) with manager John Raynor hoping the players can put present backroom strife out of their minds. "I think it's all had an effect on the team," he said.

"The playing side of the club has taken a back seat and somewhere it must affect the people on the park who know what's going on inside the club."

Raynor keeps the same squad as last week but has promised a few changes to the starting eleven.

Knaresborough Town are unlikely to make squad changes for their trip to Pontefract Sports and Social (ko 2.30pm), despite a poor display in last week's 2-0 home defeat by Sandy Lane.

Updated: 12:13 Friday, January 12, 2001