Kingstone Press League 1 Preview: North Wales Crusaders v Keighley Cougars

North Wales Crusaders coach Anthony Murray wasn’t entirely happy with his side’s 36-12 win at Oxford.

“We were leading 24-0 and in the second half scored two early tries so I thought we were going to kick on,” he said.

“But full credit to Oxford they got themselves back into the game and showed a lot of grit and determination.

“They got into us in that second half and knocked us off our game a little bit. But to score 36 points away from home and have three tries disallowed – I’m reasonably happy with that.

“In our first game against Keighley I thought we were really unlucky to give up an 18-6 lead and to lose it at the death was a bitter pill to swallow.

“But that just shows the quality of Keighley, they can come back into the game and beat you. They’re not sitting at the top of the league for nothing.

“I’ve no doubt it’s going to be a good game and a real tough one but if we do win and get those points that we desperately need, it blows the league wide open again. It’s a game I’m looking forward to.”

Centre Matt Reid has been added to the injury list and second row Sam Peate is a doubt.

Keighley Cougars had an emphatic victory over Rochdale Hornets and remain top of the league.

Coach Paul March said: “Defensively we were still a long way away but with ball in hand I thought we put an 80-minute performance together. This week at North Wales it’s going to be another tough game.

“I think we can put a bit of daylight between ourselves and the rest if we come up with another good performance.”

Loose forward Ash Lindsay took a knock to the head against Rochdale and is a doubt but hooker James Feather is likely to return.