KEIGHLEY Cougars have their eyes on next season so they can pounce from the off, says Paul Royston.

The Strength and Conditioning Coach admitted the priority in the coming games is to build for next season, rather than focusing on moving up the table.

He said: "We want to see which players want to and can buy into the way Rhys wants the side to play.

"That makes the games very important, but more so in terms of where we want to be with recruitment and where we want to be in pushing towards next season.

"For where we finish this season, it was always going to be a difficult one in any case.

"So whilst it would be nice to finish higher up, I do think really given where Cougars were at the beginning of the year it's all about being prepared for a good year next year.

"We started on that on Saturday."

New Head Coach, Rhys Lovegrow got his victory since being appointed against London Skolars at the weekend.

The 38-26 win was also the Cougar's first after a four-game straight losing streak.

Royston said: "Well, the win was essential really because we've actually been training really hard in the last three or four weeks with the systems that Rhys wants to play.

"Through a variety of reasons, it hasn't really come off exactly how we wanted it.

"But on Saturday the way we played, the lads had really switched on to it and they saw the benefit of it.

"Obviously with the scoreline, but more in the confidence side of it.

"The confidence that the systems work and that the gaps are then created, playing the way Rhys wants us to play."

The two points also meant Keighley made it into positive points after being tantalisingly close during their slump.

Royston says its something the squad have discussed for a while, and is glad to be over the barrier.

He added: "Now we've done that, we've got into positive points, we've moved off bottom.

"Some people had said we'd be on the bottom for the whole season, so it's nice to prove a few people wrong."

Cougars next face North Wales Crusaders who pulled off a shock against division leaders Whitehaven in their last match.

Royston knows they'll have to be at the top of their game to get something from the match, but says that would have been the case regardless of their opponents heroics at the weekend.

He added: "It's more about, the performance we had on Saturday is where we want to be.

"That performance led to a good result.

"If we continue that performance again, improving that this weekend, I see no reason why we shouldn't be pushing them hard.