Newcastle Thunder coach Mick Mantelli says their Ladbrokes Challenge Cup tie with Workington Town will give them a heads-up before the two sides meet in the league a week later.

Mantelli says he has high hopes for Thunder's progress in the prestigious cup competition.

But he also believes it will give Newcastle a chance to run the rule over Workington before their opening League One fixture just days later at Derwent Park on March 5.

Newcastle were handed a home third round Challenge Cup tie against Workington, which will be played over the weekend of February 25/26.

Mantelli said: “It offers a chance to have a good look at them before going over there the week after.

"They are going to be a strong team this year and one that, if we want to achieve our goals for the year, we’re going to need to be matching in performance.

“The cup match provides them with the same opportunities and I think it will make for an exciting start to the season.”

Thunder have advanced as far as the quarter-final stages of the cup in the past.

But last year they exited at round three and Mantelli is keen not to repeat that mistake.

“We had to use the Challenge Cup as a bit of trial last year, just with where we were in our preparations but we’ll definitely be looking to do the best we can in the competition this year," he added.

“We’ve got a great chance to jump out of the box well, playing on our home patch and we’ll be selecting the strongest side we can, based on form and ability for the game."