Keighley look to bounce back (From Keighley News)

Keighley look to bounce back after heavy defeat at Sheffield

1:10pm Thursday 28th February 2013 in Sport By Bill Marshall

Last Saturday’s 70-10 defeat at Sheffield may have put a dent in Keighley’s SSE North One East points difference.

But Graeme Sheffield, director of rugby at Rose Cottgae, hopes it hasn’t bashed their confidence ahead of a winnable game at home to Pocklington this weekend.

“The team we sent to South Yorkshire was better than the scoreline,” says Sheffield, “but we just didn’t turn up against a very good team that played well.

“In fact, we were dreadful, although they’ve improved a lot since we played them in Yorkshire One.”

Pocklington are 14 points better off than Keighley but only two places higher, and it is the kind of game that the hosts need to win if they are stay ahead of third-from-bottom Middlesbrough, who are only five points below Keighley.

Sheffield said: “It is not about last weekend now – there is nothing we can do about it – it is about this game coming up.

“If the right Keighley team turns up, it is one that we can definitely win, although it won’t be easy.

“We only lost there by four points away (14-10 in October) and we have Leigh Sugden back, while we are waiting on one or two others who have bumps and bruises.”