Sidlow braced for Batley showdown

The Bulls will climb above John Kear’s side into third spot in the Championship with another win and several key players are set to return.

Since losing at home to Dewsbury, Rohan Smith’s men have won at Workington and Oldham, giving them much-needed momentum heading into the Batley showdown.

Sidlow was typically influential during Wednesday’s thumping win at Oldham and he is ready for the challenge posed by Batley’s aggressive props Keegan Hirst, James Brown and Tom Lillycrop.

Batley have won five games on the spin but Sidlow declared: “Bring it on – that’s what I say and I’ll say it to Batley as well.

“It’s going to be a tough game and they are coming into our backyard.

“We don’t want anyone beating us in our backyard like Dewsbury did, so we need to keep that to a minimum.

“We can be competitive in most games and there is no reason why we can’t go through the rest of the season unbeaten.

“We’ve got a lot of momentum now. Yes, we just scraped through at Workington last weekend but sometimes that’s just what you need.

“To go to Oldham and put such a big score on them was a huge positive. I can’t wait to get into Batley now.”

Bradford narrowly edged past Batley in last season’s two league encounters before being held to a 24-24 draw at Mount Pleasant earlier this year.

Kear, who guided Sheffield Eagles and Hull FC to Challenge Cup final wins, is noted for his ability to motivate his players for the big occasion.

Yet victory for the Bulls tomorrow would not only take them into third – it could also encourage hopes of overhauling London in second.

Sidlow was left particularly encouraged by the performance of fringe players such as Lucas Walshaw, Jonny Walker, Johnny Campbell and Ethan Ryan at Bower Fold.

Sidlow added: “We’re not thinking about second at the moment.

“We’ve just focusing on winning every game and finishing as high as we can.

“I spoke to the lads beforehand on Wednesday and said that Oldham were going to bring it to us.

“There is plenty of competition for places now and you need to keep your spot.

“I think the boys stood tall on Wednesday and there is serious competition for places now.

“I’m looking over my shoulder now and thinking ‘if I don’t play well there is no reason why I can’t be dropped’.

“I don’t know if Rohan loves me or wants me playing every week, so I’ll just keep working hard and stay on my toes.

“Hame (Lauaki) has been playing well and Jonny Walker came in and stood tall at Oldham, so you just can’t relax.”

Sidlow revealed that Smith’s methods differ greatly to those of his predecessor, Jimmy Lowes.

Sidlow explained: “Under Rohan, it’s a bit less intense when it doesn’t need to be (intense).

“With Jimmy, everything was intense but Rohan has come in and changed the gameplan.

“He’s told us to just run with the ball, back each other up and offload. I think that’s had a big improvement on our game.”

Kieren Moss and Lewis Charnock will make their home debuts tomorrow and it remains to be seen if the latter will extend his stay at Odsal beyond his initial one-month loan.

Charnock has impressed in his two appearances so far, scoring in the wins at Workington and Oldham, and Smith is an admirer of the St Helens youngster.

The Bulls boss said: “Lewis is a running player and that’s what I have encouraged him to do, right from the first meeting I have had with him in a coffee shop near his place.

“We talked about his strengths and I have really encouraged him to take the line on, which he has done so far.

“He showed some good composure and some of his carries were really effective.

“His try on Wednesday night was again a result of his inner strength and desire.”

A minute’s silence will be held before the game in tribute to Batley and Spen Labour MP Jo Cox, who was killed in Birstall on Thursday.

That will be followed by a minute’s applause for Huddersfield Giants academy player Ronan Costello, who died at the age of 17 after being injured during a game against Salford.