Last updated 11:43, Friday, 18 April 2008

WHENEVER a National League breakaway from Super League has been mooted, my response has always been: but what about the Challenge Cup?CONGRATULATIONS to Town boss Dave Rotheram on his reappointment as Scotland No 2 for the World Cup campaign in the autumn.

Good luck: Workington Town coach Dave Rotheram has an outstanding pedigree

Whitehaven and Workington Town have no chance of booking a place at Wembley for the final, but the cup runs add a splash of glamour to a season, and more importantly can boost the bank balance of National League clubs for whom every penny counts.

Town entertain Hull KR in the fourth round on Sunday, and Workington supporters are already speculating about how many of the top-flight performers will turn out at Derwent Park. It’s all good fun and helps keep the club in the spotlight.

Hopefully the tie will be a good earner and Town players will no doubt raise their game.

There was obvious disappointment at Haven when they went out of the Northern Rail Cup at Oldham.

But it was acknowledged behind the scenes that it was not the disaster that an early Challenge Cup exit would prove.

Haven tonight host French club Lezignan in a huge game for Ged Stokes’ team. Victory will send them in to the last-16 and the chance of a money-spinning tie to boost the club’s depleted bank balance.

I just hope the Frenchmen are not as talented as the Gallic ref who took charge of Haven’s win over Celtic Crusaders last week.

Stokes made a point this week of praising Thierry Alibert’s performance and I concur.

Unlike many refs I’ve seen this year, he was unfussy and let the match flow.

Town have made a slow start to the season, but I’m convinced he will get it right, though it will take time.

Rotheram has an outstanding pedigree. He was second-in-command at London Broncos and then St Helens, and opted to leave both Super League clubs to progress his career.

Looking back, he was on a hiding to nothing in some respects going to Haven, just as the standard in NL1 was rocketing. And he was only pipped for third place at the death last term.

The fact he was not retained said more about those who decided not to offer him a new contract than it did about the coach’s performance.

Town’s policy of pay-for-play is laudable and surely one that should be adopted throughout the National League. It means they are not shelling out a small fortune for players on the sidelines.

Sadly, at present it means that Workington are almost certainly being outspent by some of their rivals. In the long-run, this will mean that Town are financially secure while some others may not be. But at the moment Rotheram is not on a level playing field.

NO offence to Neil Kelly or Karl Harrison, but I hope Ian Millward grabs the vacant Leigh job.

Harrison and Kelly are reportedly the front-runners for the post, vacated last week by Darren Shaw after the Centurions’ indifferent start to the campaign.

Though it would be wonderful for the National League’s profile to have the colourful Aussie former Saints and Wigan boss, currently coaching in the NRL, back in Britain.

He made his name at Leigh, before moving on to bigger things, and will surely be favourite for the job if he wants it.