MATCH INFORMATION
KEIGHLEY COUGARS v WORKINGTON TOWN - BETFRED LEAGUE ONE ROUND EIGHT
SUNDAY 28TH APRIL - 3PM KICK OFF
COUGAR PARK - KEIGHLEY - BD21 3RF
REFEREE - MR STEPHEN RACE (WAKEFIELD)
ADMISSION:
ADULT - £10
CONCESSIONS - £5
JUNIORS (13 & UNDER) - FREE
LINNERS: "THEY DON'T TAKE US LIGHTLY ANYMORE"
CRAIG Lingard believes rival sides are no longer underestimating Keighley Cougars after their strong start to the season.
Cougars reduced their pre-season points deduction to -3 following a 26-18 victory over Doncaster on Good Friday in Betfred League One.
They are now looking at getting to the zero points total as soon as possible and have an opportunity to further dent their tally when they host Workington Town on Sunday (kick-off 3pm).
Workington were among many pundits pre-season favourites for a title assault but, after losing three of their first six games, they are seventh in the table. They sacked head coach Leon Pryce earlier this week with former Keighley player Oliver Wilkes taking charge for Sunday's clash.
In contrast, Lingard's men are among the in-form sides in the division after their defeat of Doncaster made it three successive league wins and they are unbeaten since their opening-day loss at Whitehaven on February 17.
After this strong start, Lingard says rival teams are sitting up and taking note of his side's red-hot form and their pre-season crisis club tag has quickly eradicated.
He said: "The possibility of teams taking us lightly has now gone. They know the dangers we have got.
"Some of it is down to luck, but most of it is down to hard work. We are calling ourselves the misfits. We are a team of players no-one else wanted in pre-season.
"It just works sometimes. It's come together really well and everybody is working together well. I can't believe how good it has gone really. It has gone better than I could have imagined.
"I take it back to recruitment and bringing in good players. There are no egos in our changing room.
"I go back to the start of the season and it's all unknown, we didn't know how the team would gel and a few people wouldn't have been surprised if we'd lost 90 per cent of our games due to the issues we had in pre-season. The expectations are changing for us now."
Lingard says home form will be vital as Cougars look to further climb the league table this season.
He added: "It's very, very positive. The win on Friday gives us confidence starting with Workington.
"It's another massive test. They have recruited very heavily again. They are a team going for it this year. They have spent a lot of money on experienced people. The season is not going as well as they expected. They have lost their last three league and cup games.
"If we can win 80 per cent of our home games that will stand us in good stead."
TEAM NEWS
Keighley Cougars Head Coach Craig Lingard has named a provisional 20 man squad ahead of Sunday's game with a couple of players still to be checked ahead of Sunday.
Lewis Wray comes back in after recovering from the concussion he sustained in the win away at West Wales three weeks ago.
Jimmy Beckett is also brought back into the side after returning to the club on loan from the Featherstone Rovers.
Kieran Moran drops out of the squad from last week's win over Doncaster with Josh Lynam serving the final game of his 2 match suspension.
Matt Nicholson (Concussion) remains the Cougars only injury problem at this time.
COUGARS: Arnold; Bailey; Beckett; Cooke; Coventry; Dixon; Feather; Gaylor; Hallett; Hardcastle; Levy; Miller; Million; Muranka; Parker; Prell; Seeley; Thackray; Welham; Wray.
The newly installed Workington caretaker coaches Oliver Wilkes and Neil Frazer have named a 19 man squad ahead of their trip to West Yorkshire.
Tyllar Mellor drops out of the side that lost the Good Friday derby to Whitehaven last week through a hamstring injury he sustained during the 18-33 defeat.
He is replaced in the squad by Sam Hewitt who comes in on dual-registration from Super League side Huddersfield Giants.
Tyler Lancaster is included once more after making his debut last Friday after joining Town from amateur club Millom.
TOWN: Barnes; Curwen; Dawson; Doran; Farrell; Forber; Hewitt; Hopkins; Lancaster; Maudling; Moimoi; Penkywicz; Rooke; Scholey; Singleton; Tickle; Walsh; Wilkes; Worthington.
INSIDE THIS WEEK'S #CDQ
INSIDE THIS WEEK'S ISSUE OF #CDQ
Pull-out poster of Jamie Thackray
20Q with Matt Nicholson
10 Things You Didn't Know About with Kieran Moran
Player in Focus with Jack Miller
A full in-depth look at Sunday's opponents, Workington Town
AND MUCH, MUCH MORE!
VIEW FROM THE OPPOSITION CAMP
Workington Town sacked Head Coach Leon Pryce through the week and put captain Oliver Wilkes and assistant coach Neil Frazer in charge for this week's trip to Keighley.
Just days though after the club parted company with head coach Leon Pryce, interest has been flooding in to officials.
But, right now, the club is keen to look ahead to Sunday’s match at Keighley with experienced skipper Ollie Wilkes at the helm, alongside the current coaching staff.
Town chairman, Les Smallwood, said no permanent decision had yet been made and they were not rushing into anything.
“We have already had a lot of enquiries and all we have said to people it to send in their CVs,” he said.
“At the moment, as far as we are concerned, Ollie will be in charge for the next fixture at Keighley along with the other coaching staff.
“We are staying as we are for this week and then we will see what happens in the future as we look to keep the club moving in the right direction.”
STEVIE WONDER TRIBUTE ACT COMES TO COUGAR PARK
Stevie Wonder hits the Hall of Fame Bar on 17 May for an evening of Motown nostalgia.
‘Rojay’, one of the UK’s top Stevie Wonder tribute artistes, has wowed audiences in
Europe and American with his ‘wonderful stage presence and outstanding vocal talent’.
A co-founder of the band ‘DeAnte’, who’s single reached number 13 in the Dutch charts,
Rojay has, more recently, appeared on the Dutch version of The Voice and his latest
single ‘Knocked Out’ has been nominated for a Grammy Award.
Performing Stevie Wonder’s catalogue of hits, along with many others from the heyday
of Motown, this show is a must for all Motown fans. The tickets, priced at £10, will be on
sale at Cougar Park from Monday 29 April and are strictly limited.