AFTER the departure of several key players this summer, Keighley Cougars head coach Craig Lingard was delighted at the news that Benn Hardcastle and Harry Aaronson had signed new two-year contracts this week.

However, he warned that the Betfred League One side will be looking to let players go at the end of the season, after discussing the matter with the club's new general manager Steve Gill.

Lingard said: "I'm pleased about Benn and Harry, because it's always nice to get people tied down. But Steve and I have agreed to go with a smaller squad of 23 or 24 players for next season.

"We have 22 at the moment but we're looking to bring in new players for 2019 too. That means there'll probably be about half a dozen here now that won't be around next year, so everyone is fighting for a contract."

Former Castleford chief executive Gill has been at the club for less than a fortnight, but Lingard is already excited about what he can offer Cougars, saying: "He's been there, seen it and done it. He has a great track record.

"He's turned Castleford around and they're in a great position now in Super League. With a bit of luck and hard work, we could be like them one day.

"One important thing he did there was he got people and the community on board with the club, which is what we need here at Keighley."

Lingard was disappointed with the 24-16 home defeat against Hunslet at the weekend, but he insists his side will not be giving up on their play-off ambitions yet.

He said: "It's going to be difficult to qualify after the last two defeats, but we'll keep going until it's mathematically impossible. The key will be to beat the teams above us, like Doncaster and Workington."

Cougars travel to face the latter in Cumbria on Sunday and Lingard is expecting a difficult battle against a team who currently sit third in the table.

He said: "It will be tough, as you know what you're going to get when you play the Cumbrian sides. With Workington, they have a small pitch so we're expecting the game to be played down the middle.

"They're a team that tend to recruit players based on their home ground and we'll be coming up against a big, tough set of forwards. We're going to need our middle men to stand up and be counted.

"Another thing about Workington's ground is it's always windy there. You'll have it in your face for 40 minutes, but it will be behind our backs for the other half, so we have to make that count."