Whitehaven now have a third player suspended for the return game with neighbours Workington Town.

Centre/winger Connor Holliday was handed a one match ban by the Rugby League disciplinary panel for an incident in the second pre-season friendly at Barrow.

Holliday had run to join a fracas and threw a punch which has earned him the minimum punishment. He joins Elliott Miller and Karl Olstrum in missing the League One Cup game with Town at the Recreation Ground a week on Sunday.

Miller picked-up a three-match ban for coming into contact with the referee in the opening friendly of the season at Keighley and sat out the Ike Southward Memorial Trophy game at Derwent Park on Sunday.

He will miss the League One Cup tie with Town and also the following week’s Challenge Cup game, which has still to be drawn.

Miller was considered unlucky to be handed a three match suspension for what amounted to an accidental collision while he was tracking back in defence, and both he and the referee ended on the ground.

“That was his first game back after ten month out so you would half expect his timing still to be out. He apologised to the referee right away and the official admitted he was in the wrong position but he still got the three match ban.

“Because it’s at the start of the season we decided not to appeal,” said coach Carl Forster.

Olstrum was handed a six match ban towards the end of last season for coming into contact with a referee when he was still a Workington player. He still has to play a game for Whitehaven and won’t be available until early in the League One campaign.

With Dave Allen missing through injury and Dion Aiye still waiting for visa clearance, the Recreation Ground side will be short of five good players for the second derby of the season in the League One Cup.

Town regained the Ike Southard Memorial Trophy with the 32-16 win on Sunday and closed the deficit to 6-5 over the 11 years of the competition.

Local amateurs Kells (home to Rochdale Mayfield) and Egremont (who visit Wigan St Patrick’s) will be hoping to join Haven and Town in the third round draw.