So, as we gird ourselves for quite possibly the least enjoyable Bank Holiday Sunday trip up the M6 possible, we scour the dark horizon for chinks of light.

And there are a few faint glimmers of hope, as 'Haven have attracted a number of injuries. Ex-Hornet Chris McKinney looks set to be out for a month with a knee injury; Craig Chambers was set to visit a specialist this week for an inspection of a torn shoulder; Tony Cunningham has undergone a groin operation that will keep him sitting on a cushion for at least six weeks; Marc Jackson is still struggling to overcome a persistent Knee injury - and Paul Davidson has hurt his back. Bending it, most likely.

Also, Salford fat-lad Neil Baynes celebrated the end of his loan period at the Recre' by getting injured against Dull KR.

But don't get too comfortable. The remainder of Whitehaven's side is a bit handy. With ever reliable Gary Broadbent at Full-back; Craig Calvert and Wesley Wilson on the flanks and points machines Davis Seeds and Mick Nanyn at Centre, it's a back division to rival any in NL1. Leroy Joe and Joel Penny (who took a last minute drop goal at 50-nil against Rovers last week) provide the craft at half back, while a very mobile pack includes Aaron lester, David Fatialofa, Brett McDermott and Howard Hill. And somehow, Steve McCormack's got to find space for Carl Sice.

Bobby Goulding will be looking for a huge improvement on last week's showing.

“The whole 80 minutes were awful..." he said, " It was just one of those games in which everybody was awful."

“Our main problem is we don’t respect the ball. We give too much ball away cheaply and make daft mistakes - everything an amateur side would do, with no disrespect to the amateurs."

“We continue to let in soft tries and people need to take a look at themselves in the mirror. I expect my players to be much braver than they were on Sunday. I’m very annoyed. We had a great session on Saturday and didn’t drop a ball.... then in the first set we knock on."

“You just can’t give easy yards and easy penalties to sides, they’ll make you pay. We are killing ourselves. Too many players aren’t holding their hands up and getting stuck in.”

Pretty frank stuff. And, to be fair, we couldn't play much worse than we did against Doncaster. So this week we see if Hornets can revive the spirit that's been lacking of late. Without the pressure of league points to worry about, Hornets can concentrate on playing a bit of football, taking the game forward and gaining a bit of confidence.

With a tough month ahead - including the late-night return trip to Whitehaven - to look forward to, we need a catalyst to spark our season. And this could be the opportunity.

There's no doubt that this half-baked, half forgotten cup competition just seems to get in the way a bit after February - and seemingly pointless trips to West Cumbria hit hard in terms of time and money. But we'll be there as we always are. We're praying for a sunny day; a nice full English in Keswick; a pleasant sit by the Whitehaven harbour for lunch and a performance that doesn't bugger it all up.

We'd love you to join us - it's got to be better than DIY.