MATT Calland may well be grateful for the comforts of home this afternoon when his Rochdale Mayfield side welcome Barrow Raiders in the League One Cup (kick-off 2pm).

The National Conference League Premier Division outfit have already been sent to some of the farthest-flung points of the amateur rugby league map in the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup this season, travelling to the University of Hull in round one and then making the trip up to Kells in the second round last Saturday.

Having successfully navigated both those ties, Mayfield head coach Calland was left ruing their fortune when Huddersfield Giants' Ryan Brierley drew them away for the third round in Tuesday evening's draw.

Their opponents for that match a week today are none other than Barrow, but the amateurs will at least have the opportunity to play a cup tie on their own ground – albeit against the same team – today.

“I think we've been really unlucky with the draw,” said Calland. “We got Hull in the first round away, then we had to go to Kells away and now we've got to go to Barrow away, so we're not having much luck, are we?

Mayfield earned a spot in this season's League One Cup after winning the 2016 Conference Challenge Trophy with a 24-20 victory over Hunslet Club Parkside, with the team containing a strong contingent of home-grown teenagers.

They have progressed through the Mayfield system, with a number also playing under Calland for Hopwood Hall in the College Rugby League, leading to the side having a somewhat youthful look.

“It is (youthful) now I'm not playing,” joked Calland. “I've coached the under-18s for the past two years and we didn't lose a game in the league for two seasons, so they're a good set of players.

“They've come right through the club since they were eight years old together, and there are about six or seven of them who are in the first-team together. It's a really good thing for the club that we've had all of the players coming through and it has to be done, really.

“Nearly all of the team have got some sort of Hopwood Hall connection. They're either currently studying there or they've been there in the past.

“It's a good thing to have in the area, so the lads who don't get signed on can still have full-time training – for the late developers or the ones who get released from clubs.”

The matches against Barrow will undoubtedly bring back plenty of memories for Calland, who was head coach at Halifax when the two sides were competing at the top end of the Championship in 2009 and 2010.

And while the Raiders are a very different team to those heady days, the one-time England international is well-aware of their threats after watching the friendlies against Coventry Bears and Keighley Cougars, and concedes a shock win is unlikely for his team.

“I don't know about causing an upset, I've watched Barrow's last two games and they're a very good attacking side,” said Calland. “They've got some really good players in there and it will just be good for the lads to test themselves against professional players.

“I think we're just going to use it as a benchmark for the rest of the season. If we can hold Barrow out for long periods of the game it will put us in good stead.

“Hopefully we can cause them a few problems with the ball because we like to throw the ball about, but these conditions don't really suit that type of play – and they'll definitely suit Barrow with the sort of pack they've got. They like to throw the ball about as well, but their pack is twice as big as ours.

“We've just got to go out there and enjoy it, and give it our best shot – we can't do much more than that. We're not expecting to win, we're just looking at our performance.”