MARK Pullen is looking forward to Red Star Belgrade testing their mettle against Millom in the first round of the Challenge Cup.

The draw on Friday pitted the Serbian debutants against the oldest amateur rugby league club in the world on the weekend of January 26 and 27.

Red Star head coach Pullen, who hails from East Hull, expects the Woolybacks to provide a stiff test, but cannot wait to see how his side fare.

"Obviously, we're looking forward to going to one of the heartlands in Cumbria," Pullen told BBC World News' Sportsday.

"We've got great respect for Cumbria as a rugby league heartland and it will be great for us to go.

"It's quite an intimidating place to go, we've got a long way to travel, but we're confident we can represent Serbia, the Balkans and rugby league expansion in the best light, so we're looking forward to it."

Pullen wants his players to take inspiration from Catalans Dragons becoming the first overseas team to lift the Cup last year, but he acknowledges it is highly unlikely Red Star will go all the way in 2019.

However, he believes the club, who have hopes of joining the British professional set-up, could do so in the future.

"One day in the future, there's no reason us or another club from the city or the Balkans couldn't lift the Challenge Cup at Wembley," said Pullen, adding: "That's the dream."