A MOUTH-watering tie no one wanted, but we can make it into the last eight!

That was the positive response from Saints' when Sunday's Silk Cut Cup fifth round draw handed them a daunting trip to Leeds on Saturday, February 27, kick-off 3pm.

Saints have received a massive boost with Apollo Perelini being available following a one-match suspension on Tuesday, which will be cleared by Saturday's Alliance game at Thrum Hall, Halifax (2.30pm). He was also fined £250.

Indications that skipper Chris Joynt, Paul Newlove, Kevin Iro, Vila Matautia and Phil Adamson will be fit are further grounds for optimism, and that would mean a clean bill of health for the Knowsley Road squad.

However, they are under no illusions about the size of the task they face at Headingley, where the12-man Rhinos overcame Wigan on Sunday, and Saints will be anxious to redress the balance a little with Leeds having won all three meetings in 1998.

It may be an omen, but Saints won their two most recent Challenge Cup ties at Leeds, ie 32-12 in 1992 and 23-13 in 1983.

The match is not all-ticket with the Headingley capacity set at 23,000, and Saints will have stand tickets available today, Thursday, to season ticket holders and after that they will be on general sale. Prices are £15 and £12. Ground admission is £9, senior citizens and juveniles £5. Asda have sponsored fixture cards for the new season and they are available at their Kirkland Street superstore, Saints' shop and the Star office.

The Alliance team defeated Warrington 30-4 in a rearranged game at Knowsley Road on Friday. Tries were scored by Nick Camman, Brian Capewell, Danny Pimblett, Chris Newall and Warren Barrow. Kelvin Peet kicked five goals. Team: Capewell; Pimblett, Cross, A. Haigh, Camman; McCulley, Peet; P. Haigh, Hamilton, Price, Jonkers, Newall, Holdstock. Substitutes Barrow, Cunliffe, Edmundson, Stankevitch. Saints travel to Thrum Hall, Halifax, on Saturday, kick-off 2.30pm

Huddersfield Giants are reported to be interested in Saints' forward Paul Davidson.

Liverpool Reserves will play Stoke City at Knowsley Road on Tuesday, February 23, kick-off 7pm.

Saints' have signed locally-born forward Barry Edwards, who was formerly with Oldham. The club has also snapped up 17-year-old centre Matthew Birkett, of Ince St. William's, on a two-year contract. Promising winger Steve Hall is to enter hospital for a double-hernia operation.

The match-day magazine is to be revamped this season, and will include feature articles by top writers. The cost is expected to be pegged at £2.

Sean Long was named player-of-the-year at the Supporters' Club presentation night at Nexus night-club on Tuesday. Other awards were: Alliance Scott Barrow, young player Dale Holdstock, John Temple Trophy Paul Newlove.

Answer to correspondent Alec Reynolds of Portico: George Mann was the scorer when John Harrison headed the ball over the try-line against Sheffield Eagles at Knowsley Road in 1990.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.