CRAIG Lingard believes League One is the most competitive it has ever been as Cougars prepare for a difficult run-in to the regular campaign.

Victory over London Skolars last weekend kept them on course to secure a top-eight finish before the third tier splits into two.

But Keighley still have work to do with Sunday's home game against York City Knights followed by consecutive trips to Cumbria to face Whitehaven and Workington before ending with a visit from Oxford.

As expected, new team Toronto Wolfpack have swept all before them at the top, while Haven and Barrow look like they are battling it out for second place.

But just six points separate fourth-placed York from 13th-placed North Wales Crusaders as the race ahead of the Super 8s intensifies.

Lingard, whose side sit in sixth spot after their 45-26 win over Skolars, said: "This is the most competitive League One has ever been. There's never been a Toronto before and three Cumbrian teams in there.

"Then you’ve got the heartland teams, including ourselves, and expansion teams, who have had five, six, seven years to get going and are now finding their feet and stronger.

"Every team in the league has got players who have ability and like to play a bit of rugby.

"If the defence is good then they are going to score points against you, so it is very difficult at the minute.

"You have no God-given right to be in the top eight or the top four. You've got to fight for every point you get."

With neighbours Bradford Bulls looking like they are heading for relegation to League One – assuming the RFL keep the current structure in place – Lingard expects next season to be just as tough.

He said: "As it stands at the minute, you'll have Bradford and Dewsbury coming down from the Championship.

"You’ll have Toronto going up and one of the other big teams but they look like they could be replaced by big teams coming down.

"It’s not going to get any easier, so it's massively important for us to try and get out of this league as soon as we can and try to establish ourselves in the Championship."

Sunday's visitors York will provide a stern test, having won six on the bounce before only losing to second-placed Whitehaven 18-16 last weekend.

James Ford's men are currently two points above Cougars but victory for the hosts would see them leapfrog Knights. Keighley have the fourth-best points difference, with only Toronto and Barrow having scored more.

Lingard said: "The points difference we have got at the minute is almost worth an extra point."

Meanwhile, Josh Casey has joined Hemel Stags on an initial month’s loan.

The centre made his senior debut in the March defeat to Toronto Wolfpack but has struggled to cement a place in the first team and has been loaned out to gain more experience.

Casey made his debut for the Stags in Sunday's 32-20 home defeat to the All Golds.