DANNY Lawton wants to reward Cougars fans' loyalty by winning the iPro Sport Cup in their high noon showdown with York City Knights on Saturday.

Paul March’s squad suffered the trauma of relegation at the end of 2014 followed by the untimely death of Danny Jones last May and agonising failure to win promotion last October.

Success over York at Blackpool’s Bloomfield Road would provide a massive lift to Cougars as they bid to win some silverware and reach the Championship later this year.

Cougars centre Lawton, who is hoping to keep his place in the side, said: “Lifting the iPro Sport Cup would mean so much.

“It’s obviously been well documented what has happened at the club over the last 12 months and I just think that it will be a good way of giving the fans something good to cheer about because they’ve stuck with us through thick and thin.

“They stay with us through promotions and relegations so it would be good to give them something to cheer about.

“We struggled in the iPro Sport Cup last year, getting knocked out by Swinton in the quarter-finals and we wanted to put a tick in the box to make it this year, so to get there is one goal.

“Now we’re there, we obviously want to go a step forward and lift the cup.”

Lawton, who joined Cougars from the Leeds Rhinos academy in 2010, suffered a dislocated elbow injury during a reserve game earlier this year.

He explained: “X-rays revealed there was no fracture so I just had to rest and let it mend and now I’m just getting back to fitness and am looking to push on.

“There are a few injuries in the squad; Hamish Barnes is struggling so that may be a little opportunity for me to get back in there.

“I’m just trying to get my game sorted first and hopefully everything else will look after itself.

“Training has been good and all the lads are in great spirit so it’s a good atmosphere at the moment around camp which bodes well for Blackpool.”

Revenge is on Cougars’ minds following their Challenge Cup exit against York at Bootham Crescent earlier this year.

Lawton admitted: “We were disappointed with that game because we went into it very confident that we could get something out of it but we didn’t really turn up with the right mentality.

“They started off really well and went 18-0 up and we made a better fight of it in the second half but York were better on the day. Hopefully we can turn that around in the final.”

Lawton has played in big finals previously, saying: “My first big final was at Leeds Rhinos in the Under-18s against St Helens at Headingley.

“They had gone unbeaten all year and we beat them in the Grand Final.

“The 2011 play-off final for Keighley when we played against Workington at Warrington’s ground was also memorable.

“We beat them pretty comfortably and that was a good day as a lot of fans travelled up. I actually got on the scoresheet in that game, which is always good in a big game.

“They’re the two that spring to mind – obviously you don’t remember the ones you lose quite as well.

“We lost the play-off final against Swinton last year, falling short by a point which was devastating. Apart from that, I’ve got a pretty good track record in finals.”