GARY Fawcett believes Keighley's 'exciting' new brand of rugby will see bigger numbers down at Cougar Park this season.

A largely promising pre-season under new head coach Craig Lingard has brought early optimism among fans ahead of their first competitive outing in the iPro Sport Cup at home to Doncaster on Sunday.

And while the club are taking a more cautious attitude toward ambitions of promotion this campaign, chairman Fawcett anticipates high entertainment value.

He said: "Craig’s come in and put the right processes and right management structure in place which was lacking last season.

"He wanted to play exciting rugby and during the first four friendlies that is exactly what happened, so I am excited by it.

"If I’ve got one over-arcing goal, I want fans to leave Cougar Park going ‘wow, I’ve got to tell someone about this because you should be coming down and watching this side.'

"We have a young team and what I think is the basis of an exciting team so it should attract people down."

Cougars piled on the points in their opening two home friendlies before a late drop goal saw them beat arch local rivals Bulls in a derby thriller at Keighley.

Yet it was the display in defeat at Championship Batley which really encouraged Fawcett.

He said: "Obviously beating the Bulls was a good result but I would say the performance at Batley the week before stood out.

"We lost 38-12 but if we’d just been a little more grown up in first 20 minutes it could have been 26-12 at that would have been a real result for a League One side.

"We also 'nilled' Whitehaven and we have the makings of a team who will attract people down just for the spectacle. It will be well worth it because even if we get beat, we will go down fighting. I do expect the crowds to be bigger."

With a much-changed squad following the departure of former boss Paul March, Cougars have targeted a top five play-off spot this season ahead of a real push for promotion the following year.

The one blip of pre-season saw them easily beaten at rivals Barrow but the new-look squad appear to be gelling well ahead of the start of the League One campaign at home to North Wales Crusaders on March 5.

Fawcett said: "When I talk to the guys who have been here a long time like club captain James Feather – he is really enthusiastic about what is going on now.

"There is a good feeling right across the squad. The organisation and preparation is first rate."

The chairman believes the good vibes are rubbing off on fans, adding: "That feel-good factor is there on the pitch. It becomes infectious and the fans actually feel it – the comments on Facebook after games have been very positive.

"Fans were believing we could go to Batley with their massive budget and actually beat them and were disappointed that we didn’t do that."