YORK Acorn ARLC have begun their season like a house on fire - but boss Scott Rhodes has played down any talk of promotion.

The Blue and Golds sit top of National Conference League division one after two games but face probably their biggest test so far when they go to relegated Skirlaugh on Saturday (2.30pm).

And Rhodes, while chuffed to bits with his team’s form, said it was far too early to even consider where his team will be come the end of summer.

He said: “We’re playing some really good stuff. To score just short of 100 points in two games - I can’t really ask for more.

“There’s a good buzz about the place at the moment. Everyone is training hard and wanting to get into the first team and buying into what I’m trying to coach them. The second team are doing well as well.

“But I’m not thinking about promotion or anything like that. This week will be a different ball game, going to Skirlaugh.

“Then you’ve got Kells, who are good, and Elland, who are doing pretty well. Saddleworth are good at their place. There are lots of good teams in this division.

“We’re not looking any further down the line than Saturday’s game. We’re taking it a game at a time and we know we’ll have to be at our best.

“Skirlaugh play on a small pitch and play it well, and they’ve got a decent half-back who takes them around. When I was a player, it was always a hard game there, and we expect the same.

"You always get that in Hull.”

Prop Davey Burns is ruled out with a dead leg, with Matthew Woods, Adam Endersby, James Bromwich and Gareth Singleton among those vying for a call-up, but Rhodes is unlikely to make more changes.

“It’s very hard to change things when we’ve been doing so well,” he said.

Acorn ‘A’ host Illingworth in the Yorkshire Men’s League’s pre-season Forty-20 Cup, having continued their undefeated run with a 30-0 win at Normanton ‘A’ last week.

Martin McTigue, Singleton and Bromwich shone in the pack, while Adam Sellers caused problems aplenty from full-back, and there were tries by hard-working hooker James Cooper, the impressive Jack Byrnes, after an excellent break by Nic Caldwell, Steven Mackey, with a solo effort, Karl Harton, Woods and Bromwich. Jake Calum and Cooper (2) added conversions.

Heworth, whose fledgling side fell 48-10 to Dewsbury Moor in their division three opener last week, go to Woolston Rovers, who finished last season below the Villagers in the table but began this term with a fine victory at relegated Waterhead.