COUGARS will be desperate to put their last two performances behind them when they face Chorley at Cougar Park on Sunday -- but the Lancashire club will be determined to seek revenge for their one-point defeat earlier in the season.

Having sensed there could be a chink in the armour of the league leaders after consecutive away defeats at Sheffield and York, the Red Rose outfit will see their chance to knock Keighley off the top of the pile, but Gary Moorby's team is equally determined to keep their place at the top.

Moorby said: "Chorley could well be the dark horses of the competition. Darren Abrams' side have put a good run together and will be confident of taking the points off us.

"We staged a tremendous second half performance to beat them at their place earlier in the season and we will need to reproduce that kind of commitment on Sunday if we are to achieve the double over them."

They will also need to tighten up the defence which was opened up too easily at times by the pace of the York Knights side last weekend.

"We set off looking very confident and for the first 30 minutes dominated most of the play, we felt unlucky to have Simeon Hoyle's try disallowed as he grounded the ball over the line before the York defenders turned him on his back. That would have stretched our early lead even further and all the pressure would have been on them -- that could have changed the game," Moorby said.

He added: "However we didn't help ourselves with some poor options and decisions in the second half. We only had the ball for two sets in the opening 20 minutes of the second half so you can tell how much defending we had to do on a very hot afternoon.

"Control of the football is essential at the best of times but in those extreme weather conditions it is suicidal to turn over too much possession and we paid a heavy price. To score 28 points away from home and lose is very disappointing, however we remain two points clear at the top of the League and achieved that by hard work.

"It's probably fair to say we are 'rocking' a little at the moment, but we just need to be a little smarter at times.

"We are a young side and are still developing, but we are determined to get back on track.

"We are well aware that Chorley are playing well, but we haven't lost at home yet in the league," said Moorby.

Second row forward Ricky Helliwell and winger Karl Smith will be back in the squad.

n Tomorrow (Saturday) the Cougar Academy is at home to Super League club Huddersfield Giants. The match, at Cougar Park, kicks off at 2.30pm.