DANNY Jones’ tragic death felt like “losing a brother”, according to close friend and Cougars team-mate James Feather.

The pair played together for many years and Jones was a much-loved figure in a close-knit group of players at Cougar Park.

Long-serving hooker Feather, who has spent his entire career at his home-town club, admitted the 29-year-old’s passing had hit him hard.

He said: “We were really close. I think there were two seasons when we didn’t play together – my first season and the year when Danny moved to his hometown club Halifax.

“It was hard for him to leave even then and when he left, we were still good friends. I remember going on his stag do at that time.

“There was myself, Scott Law, Brendon Rawlins, Oliver Pursglove, Gavin Duffy and Danny Jones, who had been a close group for a very long time.

“We had played together since Barry Eaton brought us together and we stayed together.

“Other players have come and fitted into our group and others have left but it’s always been us; we’ve been the core of the squad for that time.

“To lose Danny from the group is like losing a brother because I saw him more than I saw my own missus.

“You see your team-mates three or four times a week and for three or four hours at a time. Now Danny is not there, it’s never going to be the same again.”

Cougars played last weekend’s game at home to Coventry after Jones’ wife Liz insisted the match must go ahead.

A fifth straight win sent Paul March’s side to the top of League One and Feather admits winning promotion back to the Championship at the first attempt would be the ultimate tribute to Jones.

“That’s our long-term goal but at the moment we’ve just got to take it one week at a time,” added Feather.

“There are players who are still really hurting and it’s not a case of playing one game and everything is fixed.

“But our long-term goal is to win the league for Danny as a legacy to him.

“That’s what he wanted and that’s why he was at the club, but the short-term aim is to take it a step at a time for every player because a lot of the lads are still cut up about it.”

Keighley’s players donated their win bonuses from the Coventry game to the Danny Jones Fund and the opposition players also contributed.

Feather explained: “We’ve all donated last week’s win bonus to the fund and Coventry donated their losing money as well.

“On Sunday, both sets of players played for free and nobody earned any money.

“I take my hat off to the players because they did rugby league, Danny and his family proud.

“We all loved Danny and he was like a brother to many of us and a best friend to a lot of us.

“He will be sadly missed but we are all there for his family and will continue to support them.

“I’m really proud of rugby league as a sport and what the rugby league family have done over this past week or so.

“Nobody can say a bad word about the sport after this.”