COUGARS coach Paul March has criticised the tackle which forced Josh Lynam off the pitch in their iPro Sport Cup win at Wath Brow, labelling it 'an act of cowardice'.

A dangerous tackle from Charlie Tomlinson resulted in the Hornets forward being placed on report and left Lynam facing a nervous wait to discover the extent of the knee injury he sustained as a result.

March said: “We don’t know how serious it is yet but it was a bit of a naughty tackle which went unpunished.

“Tackles like that need outlawing from the game because we might lose a player for a minimum of four weeks and a maximum of six months.

“Players are going unpunished for these acts of cowardice.

“It was an attack on the standing leg and it was at the knee as well, so it was a bit of a naughty one.

“We will see how he is but we’ve got plenty of back-rowers who can play there.

“Obviously we don’t want Lyney to be out for a lengthy period of time.”

Meanwhile March has urged his side to turn Cougar Park into a fortress this season as they prepare to host Coventry in the Challenge Cup on Sunday.

March’s side are battling for glory on three fronts this year as they bid to win promotion and progress in the two cup competitions.

After facing Coventry in the Challenge Cup third round this weekend, League One rivals Oxford will visit Cougar Park for an iPro Sport Cup quarter-final on April 3.

That match comes seven days before Oxford make the trip to Keighley in a league encounter and March wants his side to capitalise on the home advantage.

The Cougars boss said: “Momentum is a big thing in sport in developing a winning mentality.

“We slogged it out at Wath Brow in terrible conditions last weekend and we are coming back to Cougar Park now, so we are hoping it’s going to be a fortress in all competitions for us this season.

“We are looking forward to the challenge that Coventry will present this weekend and also Oxford in the iPro Sport Cup.

“The southern teams are improving every year so we have to be ready for them and make sure that we’re on our guard week in and week out.”