Kingstone Press League 1 preview: Keighley Cougars v Oldham

Paul March, the Keighley Cougars coach was pleased his squad had the week off.

“There were a lot of tired bodies mentally and physically going into the Swinton game,” he said.

“It was good to give the lads a week off from training; they paid their respects at the funeral and spent some time with their families at home. They’ve come back in this week re-charged and ready for the tough challenge ahead.

“Oldham are one of the sides who have been up there for a number of years. It’s going to be a tough battle down the middle and one which our forwards will relish, then it’s up to us to take the opportunities when they come around.

“We let ourselves down at Swinton so we’ve got a point to prove this week in front of our own crowd.”

League leaders Oldham go into the game against Keighley Cougars without Gareth Owen, George Tyson and Josh Johnson, who are all suspended.

Coach Scott Naylor said: “It puts us on the back foot going to somewhere like Keighley but it’s a test, a good challenge for the lads.

“We’re looking forward to it, they’ve got a lot of good lads and are one of the teams that came down last season and are the kind of club we’re looking at to perform well against and want to challenge ourselves against.

“We played really well in our last game. They are obviously going through a tough time themselves so it will be an interesting game.”