MATCH INFORMATION
KEIGHLEY COUGARS v WEST WALES RAIDERS - BETFRED LEAGUE ONE ROUND SIXTEEN
SUNDAY 14TH JULY - 3PM KICK OFF
COUGAR PARK - KEIGHLEY - BD21 3RF
REFEREE - MR JOE STEARNE (CASTLEFORD)
ADMISSION:
ADULT - £10
CONCESSIONS - £5
JUNIORS - FREE
ROYSTON: "TAKE PRIDE IN PERFORMANCE"
PLAYING the match and not the occasion is the message from Keighley Cougars' strength and conditioning coach Paul Royston when they face a crucial basement battle on Sunday.
Cougar Park will be a sea of rainbow colours as they host bottom-placed West Wales Raiders in Betfred League One on Sunday.
The Cougars players will be sporting a special one-off kit for the clash featuring the rainbow colours to mark the Cougarmania Pride match, celebrating the Pride movement's 50th anniversary.
The occasion has also attracted a host of special guests including model and TV personality Katie Price, Coronation Street actor Antony Cotton and Wakefield Trinity prop Keegan Hirst.
The day's festivities at Cougar Park get under way at 1pm and will include drag performers, give-aways and a barbecue. Fans can even enjoy lunch and a reception with Miss Price.
Cougars are also making a return to the pitch after two weeks away on Sunday following a blank weekend from action.
Although Royston acknowledges the importance of the message the day sends, he says his second-from-bottom Cougars need to remain focused on events on the pitch.
Royston said: "The kits look really good, the players really like them and are up for the game.
"The razzamatazz does not do us any harm. It creates interest in the club. It is up to us to keep focused on the field.
"The razzamatazz is what will get more spectators down. The owners are great at that.
"The players need to think that they are 100 per cent playing for their places. They can't be taken in by anything that is happening off the field on Sunday.
"Just for us to get off the bottom is a good aspect to the season. We need to be pushing on together now and finish as high as we can.
"This weekend gives us a good chance to widen the gap with West Wales. We just need to play how we've been practising. The guys have been putting a lot of work and hours in training.
"We do really need to have a team next year that can really compete.
"There are a lot of people working really, really hard behind the scenes."
TEAM NEWS
Rhys Lovegrove has rung the changes once more as he continues to look at his entire squad ahead of preparations for the 2020 season.
Alfie Seeley, Davey Dixon, Mark Barlow and Billy Gaylor all come into the 19 man squad as do Aaron Levy (Appendix) and Louis Sheriff (Work Commitments) who have been forced to miss the last few weeks of action.
This has resulted in Jack Coventry, Josh Lynam, Matt Welham, Jordan Parry and Hunslet loanee Marcus Webb all dropping out from the squad that was beaten a fortnight since at the North Wales Crusaders.
Ryan Wright is also out from the side that fell to defeat in Wrexham, after Hunslet recalled the hooker from his loan spell at Cougar Park.
Matt Nicholson (Concussion) remains the only long term injury worry for Lovegrove, the forward is still suffering from symptoms from the head injury he sustained in the return fixture with the Raiders in April.
Jordan Aitchison (Hamstring) is nearing a return to fitness from the injury he sustained in the last home game, victory over the London Skolars, and is expected to feature in one of the upcoming reserves fixtures against Featherstone, Halifax and Wakefield.
COUGARS: Bailey; Barlow; Cooke; Cullimore; Darley; Dixon; Feather; Gaylor; Hallett; Hardcastle; Levy; Miller; Muranka; Parker; Prell; Seeley; Sheriff; Thackray; Wray.
West Wales Head Coach Kim Williams has also named a much changed side ahead of their long jaunt north to West Yorkshire from Llanelli.
From the side that fell to a 0-72 home loss to Doncaster last weekend, Paddy Jennings, Mickael Sibour, Liam Rice-Wilson, Ryan Shallish and Chris Vitalini are unavailable for Sunday's visit to Cougar Park.
They are replaced in the Raiders side by Tyler Hunt, Archie Snook, Rowland Kaye, Sam Baker and Alan Pope.
Sevanaia Tolutinikaono is in line for his West Wales debut after joining the club this week.
RAIDERS: Baker; Bateman; Celerino; Cowburn; Desmond-Walker; Evans; Harris; Herron; Hunt; Jones; Kaye; Maiden; Mulkeen; Parry; Pope; Shaw; Snook; Tolutinikaono; Walker.
INSIDE THIS WEEK'S #COUGARPRIDE EDITION OF #CDQ
NSIDE THIS WEEK'S ISSUE OF #CDQ
Pull-out poster of James 'Buster' Feather
20Q with Jack Coventry
10 Things You Didn't Know About with Macauley Hallett
Player in Focus with Lewis Wray
A full in-depth look at Sunday's opponents, West Wales Raiders
AND MUCH, MUCH MORE FOR JUST £2!
CHARITY AUCTION FOR BHF
As you may be aware, Will Cooke sadly lost his father suddenly earlier this week.
This Sunday sees #CougarPride hit Cougar Park and the players will be taking to the field in a special edition rainbow coloured pride shirts to mark the occasion.
Will, along with Benn Hardcastle, Jack Miller and Jack Coventry have donated their rainbow shirts to a special auction from which all monies raised will be donated to the British Heart Foundation in the memory of Will's father.
Minimum starting bids on all four shirts are £50 and if you would like to bid then please private message our Facebook or Twitter page, or alternatively email Head of Media and Admin Joshua Chapman at josh@cougarmania.co.uk.
Please bid generously to try raise as much money as possible for such a great and worthwhile cause!
#COUGARPRIDE RUNNING ORDER
12:30 - GATES OPEN
13:00 - HOSPITALITY OPENS (PRESIDENT/VIP)
13:20 - KEIGHLEY ALBION v WEST CRAVEN/NEWSOME CURTAIN RAISER (UNDER 6's)
13:30 - KATIE PRICE MEET & GREET IN VIP BAR
13:50 - SAM ASHBY (SINGER) PERFORMS ON THE PITCH
14:20 - KATIE PRICE MEET & GREET IN PRESIDENT'S SUITE
14:50 - KATIE PRICE PERFORMS ON THE PITCH
15:00 - KICK OFF, KEIGHLEY COUGARS v WEST WALES RAIDERS
HALF TIME - CHEERLEADERS PERFORM
17:30 - DRAG ACT TAKES TO THE STAGE (HALL OF FAME BAR)
18:00 - DJ TAKES TO THE STAGE (HALL OF FAME BAR)
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