CRAIG Lingard is keen to see how his new-look squad perform against stronger opposition when the Cougars host League One rivals Whitehaven tomorrow (2pm).

Keighley brushed aside National Conference League Division One side Hunslet Warriors 82-12 in their opening friendly last week.

After a slow start, the Cougars scored 16 tries and Lingard was satisfied with the run-out, yet he insisted finding the right combinations are more important than results in pre-season.

He said: "There is still a lot to work on. We're only about 60-70 per cent where I want us to be – but it is pre-season and this is what you use to iron out little issues.

"Pre-season friendlies serve a purpose but I don't want people to get carried away with what we did last Sunday and with what is going to happen this weekend.

"If we win by 30 points, people might get cock-a-hoop, but if we lose by 30 they might be scratching their heads.

"But that's the nature of friendlies. Coaches want to give players game time and are trying different combinations that are open to them."

Former St Helens prop Carl Forster was appointed player-coach at Whitehaven last September after replacing James Coyle following the club's relegation from the Championship. Aged just 24, he became the professional game's youngest coach.

Lingard said: "Cumbrian teams are always big and strong. Under James Coyle, they liked to play a bit of rugby, but I don't know what sort of game they will play under the new manager."

The Cougars chief is set to rotate his squad, with those who did not feature last week set to gain some action. Fitness permitting, they include James Feather, Brendon Rawlins, Neil Cherryholme, Nathan Kitson, Vinny Finigan and Will Milner.

Meanwhile, Keighley remain hopeful their scheduled fixture with Bradford on Sunday, January 29 can still go ahead.

The club's liquidation last week threw all their pre-season friendlies into doubt and Batley's hopes of staging their game against a Bradford 'select side' tomorrow were dashed after the Odsal outfit admitted they do not currently have enough players to field a side.

But with a place in the Championship open for a reformed Bradford club, Cougars chairman Gary Fawcett confirmed they have kept the date free.

Lingard said: "We're still hopeful (it will happen). We are in a better position than other clubs such as Batley, who were due to play them tomorrow, and Huddersfield, who are down to face them the week after, because we're not due to play them until the end of the month and we have a lot more leeway to sort it out. We just have to wait and see."