CRAIG Lingard is going back to the future with his Keighley Cougars squad.

They face the head coach's old club Batley Bulldogs at Cougar Park on Sunday (2pm), having played them at the Fox's Biscuits Stadium on the identical weekend last year, with the Bulldogs winning 38-12.

Lingard said: "We need to have a look at where we are compared to last year.

"We played them in a competitive game and looked okay but didn't really trouble them.

"Batley have also strengthened a bit and you would expect them to be in the top half of the Championship, so it will be a good test for us."

Cougars opened their pre-season campaign with a 46-20 defeat at familiar foes Barrow Raiders last Sunday.

Lingard, who may well throw Matty Beharrell, Benn Hardcastle and Josh Tonks into the mix on Sunday, added: "We will go back to the drawing board this week in certain areas and have a look at next weekend and see where we do well.

"We have five pre-season friendlies and we haven't decided what our best 17 is yet, but that is what these friendlies are for."

One player who may have made Lingard's job more difficult in a positive sense is utility man Lewis Fairhurst.

Lingard said of Fairhurst's man-of-the-match display against the Raiders: "Lewis was outstanding, and Liam Senior went well in the back row.

"Lewis has looked really good in training playing out in the halves, but he can also play at full back, so he gives us that option of being able to play a third pivot.

"He has put some questions on the table for us to answer."

Lingard also praised young winger Calvin Barker, saying: "It is difficult for him to come in against a good team like Barrow but he handled himself really well, looked well defensively and took a good high ball and he will benefit from that outing."

He added: "We put some plenty of shape on Barrow, who are a Championship-quality team, and we came here a few times last season and didn't put 20 points on them, so that is something that we can take out of the game."

Lingard added: "We rotated the middle men about quite a bit as well, and they will need to get some bigger minutes under their belts as the season progresses."

However, he called the goal-line defence "pathetic" and knows that is an area that they must improve on this weekend.