COUGARS chairman Gary Fawcett admits the extra travelling this season will hit the club in the pocket as they head far and wide in the quest for promotion.

Following their controversial relegation last term, Paul March’s men will spend the 2015 campaign in the third tier of League One.

It will involve facing far-flung opposition such as Coventry Bears, Gateshead Thunder, Hemel Stags, London Skolars, Oxford, South Wales Scorpions and the University of Gloucestershire All Golds.

Cougars’ travel costs will increase significantly and will also affect the club’s home gates as the aforementioned teams are expected to bring minimal away support with them.

Fawcett, who considered launching legal proceedings against the RFL before deciding against such a course of action, said: “There are a number of issues that being in League 1 gives us.

“The first is that the Sky distribution monies from the RFL drops by £15,000 compared to last year.

“This is coupled with additional travel expenses and potentially smaller attendances at home.

“We will receive about £5,000 from the RFL to cover travel expenses but this will not cover the extra travel costs considering that a coach to South Wales will cost around £1,600 alone.

“Furthermore, if the team stays over there, the hotel costs will probably eliminate the remainder of the £5,000.

“In the past the team has not been particularly good at getting results on the road so this must change for the 2015 season.”

Cougars have retained the bulk of their squad and look a decent bet to launch a strong bid for an immediate return to the Championship.

Fawcett is keen for them to justify their tag as promotion candidates by making Cougar Park a fortress this season.

He added: “We are the bookies' favourite to go straight back up and we must demonstrate that we justify those odds.

“Cougar Park must be a fortress and, despite the distances for away games, there should be no excuses that get in the way of our twin objectives for the coming season.

“We are targeting winning the League One Cup and promotion because we have the squad and infrastructure to achieve this.”

Fawcett reckons a strong start to the season will see the fans flock to Cougar Park in support of the team.

He said: “When we start the season well the crowds tend to rise, therefore it is incumbent on the squad to deliver on the pitch so that the attendances naturally increase.

“If we perform with style and achieve our objectives I can see decent crowds turning up for our home games.

“After all the town of Keighley is the UK's third largest parish by population at 90,000 and Featherstone, with a town population of only 15,000, get double our average attendances.

“I want us to come roaring out of League One with the strategy already set to achieve a top-seven finish in the 2016 season – that means no lower than third place in the bottom Super Eight division.

“This, I believe, is a challenge that our club can meet. After that, who knows for 2017?

“Our ambition has not been dimmed by the ineligible player fiasco last season and we still wish to enter Super League on our own merit on or before the 2020 season.

“Our strategy over the next five years will be governed by this ultimate goal.”

Fawcett is in the process of finalising a number of new directors to the club’s board.

He added: “I'm still speaking to the potential new directors so hopefully I will be able to make some announcements by the end of the month.”