KEIGHLEY Cougars head coach Craig Lingard admitted that there was one player whose commitment could not be called into question in their disappointing weekend defeat at Doncaster.

Cougars scrum half Matty Beharrell fractured his shoulder in their 29-20 loss, and played for over an hour with the agonising injury.

Lingard said: "He pulled his hamstring, but when he went to the hospital on Monday, he found out he'd fractured his shoulder too, so he'll be out for a while.

"I think sometimes when you have a bad performance, you question the willingness and desire of the squad but with Matty refusing to come off with that shoulder injury, it just shows the dedication that these players have."

One player who will be fit for this weekend's home clash against West Wales Raiders is the unsung Matthew Bailey. The prop made his 100th career appearance in the Doncaster defeat, scoring a rare try.

Lingard highlighted the importance of having players like Bailey, saying: "Every team needs people like him.

"You need players that score the tries, kick the goals and look good but Matt does a lot of the unseen work which is recognised by everyone, and he's won the Coaches' Player and Players' Player of the Year the last two seasons.

"He'll often be the person that puts his hand up and takes that first carry that nobody else wants.

"You also know you'll get at least a seven out of ten performance from him every week, and that consistency is so important for the team as the star players can run hot and cold."

Lingard is frustrated to be playing Betfred League One whipping boys West Wales this weekend, as he feels the players cannot show the reaction he needs after the Doncaster defeat.

He admitted: "It's against York next week where we need to learn from the Doncaster game. If we get into a position to win that, we've got to close it out. You have to perform for 80 minutes against the top teams.

"We've set the target of keeping a clean sheet against West Wales because we should be winning this game comfortably. It's about staying focused and professional in training before putting in a clinical performance on Sunday."

Aside from the aforementioned Beharrell injury, Lingard confirmed that Dan Parker will need to be assessed after coming off injured at Doncaster.

Meanwhile, Matt Ross will gain valuable experience after joining fellow League One club, London Skolars, on loan for a month.