MATCH INFORMATION
KEIGHLEY COUGARS v BRADFORD BULLS - CORAL CHALLENGE CUP FOURTH ROUND
SUNDAY 31ST MARCH - 2:45PM KICK OFF
COUGAR PARK - KEIGHLEY - BD21 3RF
REFEREE - MR MARCUS GRIFFITHS (WIDNES)
ADMISSION:
ADULT - £15
CONCESSIONS - £10
JUNIORS - FREE
LINNERS: "WE HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE"
NOTHING to lose and everything to gain is Craig Lingard's message ahead of Keighley Cougars' huge Challenge Cup clash with Bradford Bulls.
Cougar Park is expected to be packed for the visit of John Kear's Championship side this Sunday (2.45pm kick-off).
Cougars warmed up for the tie with a late 24-22 win over North Wales Crusaders last Sunday. The home victory further dented Cougars' pre-season points deduction, reducing it to -7.
Meanwhile, Cougars face a Bulls side starting to settle into life in the Championship following their promotion. They are seventh in the table after winning four of their first eight games, including a 26-12 triumph over Leigh Centurions at Odsal last Sunday.
Lingard said: "It is hard not to see ourselves as underdogs on Sunday. They are in the Championship and a full-time team. Our team is relatively new. Bradford have spent more than us this season. That's just where we are.
"We will go out there and enjoy it and rip it up.
"Bradford are a better team than we played last year. We have absolutely nothing to lose.
"If we won, it has the makings of a really good cup story. We are playing our neighbours and our local rivals.
"It's a different competition, but our focus is fully on the league. It gives us a break from the league and is something completely different to focus on. There is a really positive vibe around the club. We are really, really hopeful for a bumper crowd.
"My players are relishing playing in front of a vocal support this season.
"Anybody who plays sport wants to play in front of a big crowd. All of our players have not played in front of such a large crowd as there might be on Sunday. But the Bradford players are used to that.
"Our ground is a little bit different. It is an old ground where the supporters are right on the fences."
Lingard, 41, added he was looking forward to coming up against his coaching mentor Kear on the touchline on Sunday.
The pair spent four seasons together between 2013 and 2016 at Batley Bulldogs when Lingard worked as Kear's assistant head coach.
"It was a massive learning curve being with him and the pointers I have got off him have been invaluable.
"Me and John are still close and we still speak all of the time. But the gloves will be off during the game on Sunday. Before and after the game we will shake hands, but for the 80 minutes of the match we will be enemies."
TEAM NEWS
Head Coach Craig Lingard will be without Jamie Thackray (Hamstring) once again following the injury he sustained in the previous round of the Challenge Cup against Distington.
Lewis Wray (Neck) is sidelined for the foreseeable future following the injury that saw him stretchered from the field in last Sunday's win over the North Wales Crusaders.
Jason Muranaka is back in the side after recovering from the knock that ruled him out last weekend against the Crusaders.
There is also a recall for Jack Arnold and a first inclusion for Kieran Moran following the knee injury that has ruled him out of the first two months of the season.
Both Darren Forde and Jimmy Beckett have not been given permission to play by their parent club, Featherstone Rovers.
Alex Williams (Hamstring) is still unavailable as is new signing Matt Nicholson.
COUGARS: Arnold; Bailey; Cooke; Coventry; Dixon; Feather; Gaylor; Hallas; Hallett; Hardcastle; Levy; Lynam; Miller; Million; Moran; Muranka; Parker; Seeley; Welham.
Bradford boss John Kear has injury problems of his own heading into Sunday's Challenge Cup tie at Cougar Park.
Jordan Lilley (Dead Leg) will not be risked against the Cougars with fellow half-backs Dane Chisholm and Joe Keyes also sidelined.
They are joined in the stands by long term injured pair of Jy Hithcox and former Cougars favourite Ross Peltier (Shoulder).
Dalton Grant is included after initially being a doubt with a recall for Brandon Pickersgill after he was left out of last weekend's win over Leigh.
Two time cup winning coach Kear has also included a number of his younger players with Thomas Doyle, Evan Hodgson and Oliver Wilson named in the squad.
BULLS: Bustin; Crossley; Doyle; Flanagan; Foggin-Johnston; Garside; Gibson; Grant; Green; Hodgson; Magrin; Milnes; Minchella; Oakes; Pickersgill; Ryan; Storton; Wildie; Wilson
INSIDE THIS WEEK'S #CDQ
INSIDE THIS WEEK'S ISSUE OF #CDQ
Pull-out poster of Aaron Levy
20Q with Will Cooke
10 Things You Didn't Know About with Jack Coventry
Player in Focus with James 'Buster' Feather
A full in-depth look at Sunday's opponents, Bradford Bulls
AND MUCH, MUCH MORE!
VIEW FROM THE OPPOSITION CAMP
Bulls commercial manager Damian Irvine believes the underdog hosts will fancy their chances of bridging the gap with their Championship neighbours.
Irvine said: “There will be so much feeling. Keighley will fancy themselves in this tie, no doubt about it.
“Cup games have a knack of being played in the forwards and then a little bit of magic. Already this has got something special.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen in that 80 minutes but I’ve just got a feeling we’re going to be talking about it for many years.”
After the financial problems which threatened to drag the Cougars under last year, the League One side can look forward to a bumper crowd for a tie that will be streamed live on the BBC.
“Lady luck has a funny habit of rewarding hard work and Keighley have been through it tough,” added Irvine.
“It’s a timely draw for Keighley and a nice, close one for our faithful fans. They’ll go in great numbers.
"They would have travelled if it was miles away and a two or three-hour trip. But to have it just up the road is so local, so many of their friends will follow the Cougars and vice versa.
“One of the big things about gaining promotion to the Championship was having more localised games and meaningful fixtures.
“While Keighley are still in League One, to get this draw in the cup is just another game that’s within 40 minutes or an hour for our fans to travel.
“You couldn’t ask for a better tie and I’m already excited.”
The Bulls posted 50 points on their neighbours in both league meetings last season but Irvine expects the Cougars to throw everything at them.
“Keighley are a division below but there will be a lot of feeling in that. The first 20 minutes will be fireworks.
“That’s what cup ties are all about. It’s a great way to kick off what I hope will be a long and deep cup campaign for the Bulls.”
RUN FOR STEVO
TWO fans from opposite sides are joining forces to raise money for charity before the Cougars v Bulls cup derby on Sunday.
Mick Riddiough, aged 50, and Nick Pyrah, 45, are running from Odsal to Lawkholme Lane in aid of the Motor Neurone Disease Association.
They are both friends of former Cougars captain Phil Stephenson, who was diagnosed with the disease in June 2017.
Mick said: "We both know Phil from junior rugby league with our sons playing for Silsden Storm.
"I used to watch Cougars during the Cougarmania era, while Nick is a Bulls fan, so the cup draw fell quite nicely.
"A group of us were already down to run part or all of the Manchester Marathon on Sunday, April 7.
"When the draw for the Challenge Cup put the Cougars and the Bulls together, we had another think and on seeing Odsal to Lawkholme Lane is around the half-marathon distance, we have decided to run between the two grounds on Sunday, getting there to watch the match.
"It seemed a nice fit with the recent takeover at the Cougars bringing back memories of Cougarmania, Phil being made president at the club and with Phil's nephew (Alix Stephenson) in the Bulls squad."
Mick, from Cross Hills, and Nick, from Steeton, are still considering running half of the Manchester Marathon along with Nigel Moscardini from Silsden - depending on how this Sunday's run goes.
A series of fundraising events for MNDA in support of Stephenson, who also played for Clayton ARLFC, have taken place already.
Donations can be made at justgiving.com/fundraising/phil-stephensons-fundraising-team
HOW TO WATCH THE GAME ON THE BBC
If you are unable to attend Sunday's game, the game is being broadcast live on the BBC Red Button and BBC Sport Website.
To watch online, you can do so by following this link: https://bbc.in/2HHwnBI
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