KEIGHLEY will go into 'the ultimate test' on Saturday full of confidence when they head to unbeaten leaders Bridlington for their top-of-table clash in Yorkshire One.

Their hosts have won 11 out of 11 this season, have scored the most points (375) and conceded the least (120).

But Keighley head coach Danny McGee isn't ruling out the chances of his second-placed team when they travel to Dukes Park.

The Rose Cottage side are on a six-match winning run themselves and have only conceded 153 points, which is the second best defensive record.

McGee said: "Bridlington away is the ultimate test, but if we play as we have done for the past few weeks – with heart and with soul – then we have an opportunity.

"With prop Matthew Hagyard out with a hamstring injury, we will again have to mix and match in terms of positions, but we did it at Selby the weekend before last and won, and we could have some other players coming back."

Keighley warmed up for this weekend (if that is the right word) with a 14-5 home win over York on a desperately chilly afternoon that was punctuated by sleet showers.

"It was cold on the touchline, it got quite dark at one point and I was glad I wasn't playing", laughed McGee, "but we showed character to win."

Alex Brown gave Keighley the early edge with three penalties inside 36 minutes at Rose Cottage and, although York responded with a try just before half-time, the hosts got the only points of a titanic second half with a try by centre Alan Ebbrell in the 71st minute.

Keighley won a penalty when the first scrum of the match collapsed, and McGee was quick to single out tight-head prop Andy Heys in what was a tremendous fillip in general for the forwards.

However, defence was often the order of the day for the rest of the half, with McGee adding: "Sometimes it was good, aggressive defence and sometimes it was scrambled defence but we kept York out until we made two successive errors to help them score a try just before half-time.

"The message at half-time was 'don't make mistakes and play keep ball', and we managed to do that for long periods until we scored a good try ourselves."

Bridlington, who visit Keighley on April 1, are leading the table by 13 points but only seven separate Keighley (39) from sixth-placed Scarborough, and both the latter and Old Brodleians (fourth with 35 points) have a game in hand.