Seaside success so vital for Cougars (From Keighley News)

Seaside success so vital for Cougars

10:40am Thursday 28th January 2010

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Barry Eaton believes Sunday’s Northern Rail Cup opener could make or break Cougars’ entire season.

Keighley kick off the new campaign at Blackpool Panthers, targeting a first-ever place in the knockout stages of the competition.

With a tough season ahead, head coach Eaton understands the importance of a strong start and has urged his side to hit the ground running.

Cougars will start their Championship campaign with a deduction of up to nine points after entering administration and a decision on the severity of the penalty is expected imminently.

But they start the Northern Rail Cup on a level playing field and Eaton is keen to use the group games as a chance to build momentum.

“We’ve got the imminent decision on our points deduction happening later this week or early next week and the normal procedure is that it wouldn’t affect the Northern Rail Cup, so we start this competition on a level playing field.

“We know it’s going to be a tough challenge.

“We face Blackpool and the two Championship sides we face both finished in the top five last season but we have never reached the knock-out stages and it would give us a real boost for the rest of the season.”

On paper, it would appear the group games against Champion-ship title-holders Barrow and fifth-place finishers Whitehaven represent the toughest tasks.

But Martin Crompton’s ever-improving Panthers side have emerged as one of the favourites for this season’s Championship One and Eaton knows they will be confident of getting a result on home soil.

“I’ve read Martin Crompton’s comments and although they are paying us the respect we deserve, I think they quietly fancy themselves for the knock-out stages,” said the Cougars chief.

“If they knock us off on Sunday, I think they’d be confident about their chances.

“But we feel the same. We need to get a win on Sunday to stand a good chance of qualifying.

“It’s the most important game we’re going to play in the Northern Rail Cup.

“They are tipped as one of the favourites for the title in Champ-ionship One and we have always had tough encounters at Blackpool, so we’re expecting a tough game.”

Cougars closed off pre-season with an impressive 44-0 win against a young St Helens side on Sunday but did not come through the game completely unscathed.

Ben Sagar is a doubt for Sunday’s game after suffering a hyper-extended elbow and adds to Eaton’s injury headache.

Carl Hughes was already ruled out despite returning to training, and new signings Chris Baines and Richard Jones are both doubts.

Baines is back in training following his hernia operation but has suffered stiffness in his abductor muscle, while Jones has felt tightness in his hamstring.

Even if both prove their fitness, they are lacking game-time – a dilemma that also effects the potential selection of Jamie Shepherd, who made his debut against Saints.

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