Keighley Cougars 6, Featherstone Rovers 24

Cougars chief Barry Eaton hailed his team’s performance in defeat against Featherstone as one of their best today.

Despite losing 24-6 to the Co-operative Championship leaders, Eaton remained delighted with his players’ efforts and was left to rue a second-half call that changed the course of the game.

With the scores tied at 6-6, Jamaine Wray had a try ruled out for offside after he had touched down a grubber kick from Danny Jones, and Featherstone scored soon after.

“At 6-6, we had two tries ruled out, which were both harsh decisions,” said Eaton.

“If we had scored, I believe we’d have gone on to win the game but it didn’t turn out like that.

“We didn’t get the rub of the green but credit to the lads - they put in a good performance. It was probably one of our best this season.

“People will look at the scoreline and think it was a comfortable win for Featherstone but it doesn’t reflect the game.”

Keighley can take comfort in the fact both Whitehaven and Dewsbury also lost without picking up bonus points, meaning the picture is unchanged at the bottom of the table.

With five games remaining, Cougars still sit eight points from safety and now have a two-week break before the visit of Toulouse.

Eaton has not ruled out adding to his squad further before that game, with Daley Williams looking almost certain to depart after being made available for transfer on disciplinary grounds.

A loan move for Castleford utility back Jordan Thompson fell through but Eaton will be hitting the phones ahead of Friday’s transfer deadline.

He said: “I’ve spoken to three or four players but there’s not a lot of movement at the moment.

“We were trying to sort a deal for Jordan Thompson but injuries meant Castleford needed to keep hold of him.

“We’ll keep looking, particularly for available three-quarters because we’re a bit short there right now.”