Preview: Keighley v Batley

Scott Law (groin) and Brendon Rawlins (shoulder) are both ruled out as the Cougars search for their first Co-operative Championship victory of the year.

Barry Eaton’s men host in-form Batley in Thursday’s live televised Sky Sports clash.

Eaton said: “Batley got 100 points against Gateshead last week and any scoreline of that magnitude has got to be respected.

“They’re certainly a side that’s capable of mixing it with the best on any given day. We know they’re a threat but we’re trying to focus more on ourselves at this stage of the year.”

Cougars lost 34-26 in Toulouse on Saturday. Eaton said: “Spending a couple of days together meant it was a very valuable trip for the boys.

“We did OK against Toulouse, but we just didn’t start well enough to give ourselves a chance of winning the game, although we once again finished the game really strongly. If we can go into half time with the game in the balance then we’ve probably got a good chance at the moment.”

George Raynor should be fit after suffering a back injury against Toulouse.

Batley pair Josh Griffin (shoulder) and Jon Simpson (broken ankle) will not feature for Karl Harrison’s men.

But Johnny Campbell, who has scored tries in each of Batley’s seven competitive games this season, will be looking to continue his fine form.

Bulldogs beat Gateshead 100-4 last Wednesday to give Harrison’s side plenty of confidence. Harrison said: “I know Gateshead coach Chris Hood quite well and I did feel sorry for him.

“They weren’t at full strength but we played pretty well and to score 100 points is a fair achievement. The pleasing thing about it was that we stuck rigidly to the game plan.”