COUGARS travel to Batley on Sunday knowing that victory will give them a place in the knockout stages of the Arriva Trains Cup -- and lay the ghost of their poor away form.

The Bulldogs secured a 30-12 victory when they visited Keighley in February, but that win was against a side with five change players as coach Gary Moorby attempted to get all his squad match fit.

Sunday's game will see the Bulldogs up against a team brimming with confidence, but they have still to show they have the will to win a big game away from home.

Moorby said: "If we can continue playing as we have been playing I feel we are capable of causing an upset. It's a tough call, but one the lads are really looking forward to."

The trip to Mount Pleasant is always tough and Batley coach Paul Storey has highlighted the game as vital to his team's season.

"I have a lot of time for Batley coach Paul Storey, he is a local lad like myself and Paul Moses. He played for Batley, coached their Allaince team and has done a fine job since taking over as head coach.

"There's no doubt he will have them ready for us and he will expect us to give them a hard time," Gary Moorby said.

But his team is on a high after beating Hunslet Hawks at Cougar Park last weekend.

Moorby said: "I must admit we were quietly confident of taking the points. When they beat us at Hunslet we failed to turn possession into points, but we've worked hard in several areas since then - and reaped the rewards.

"Our forwards laid the foundation for the win, and our backs always looked capable of causing them problems, which is how it should be.

"I'm not normally one for singling out individuals but Matty Firth is now showing what a good player he is. I never had any doubt in Matty's ability, but half backs will get critisised when the team is not performing because they are key figures.

"We have added a little structure to our game plan which has allowed him to be more dominant and he has responded superbly. His offensive kicks caused Hunslet countless problems, and his link up with Adam Mitchell and Rammy was great to watch."

But Cougars still have the problem of giving all their players a game, while trying to keep the team playing as a unit.

Popular Aussie, Mick Durham, has been released to Swinton on a month's loan to give him the chance to put his hard training to work.

"The rest of the team is playing so well I have been struggling to find an opportunity to slot him in to the team. Peter Roe's a good friend, and he has been having injury problems at Swinton, so it was the ideal opportunity to get Mick a game and help Roey out at the same time," Moorby said.

In another move Swinton have signed Batley's influential stand-off Chris Hough, which could be good news for Sunday's game.

There were no injuries after last weekend's game, leaving Moorby with a full squad available for selection.

n A Cougar supporters' coach is going to Batley on Sunday. It will leave Cougar Park at 12.45pm and anyone wanting a place should contact Richard Greasley on 07810-261226.