TWO POINTS are a must as Cougars coach Gary Moorby prepares his side for the clash against Rochdale on Sunday, 3pm kick-off.

With the Cougar Park outfit's National One status already hanging by a thread, only maximum points will do against a Rochdale side seven points and two places above them.

Any lingering hopes of kick-starting an unlikely push for survival were again dashed by Leigh last week with an eventual 48-10 scoreline.

The table-toppers just managed to find that little bit extra against a spirited Cougars side to keep their noses in front of Whitehaven at the top of the tree.

Now only a win for Keighley will keep Rochdale in any catchable distance with just four games left to play after this weekend's encounter.

But coach Gary Moorby is looking to take things one game at a time for the time being.

He said: "It's going to be another tough game but in this division everyone can beat each other

"I'm a realist. It's going to be a really uphill battle from now on.

"But the important thing is that we must not give up on things. You never know what can happen.

"We will prepare well and go to Rochdale to give it our best shot."

Defeat on Sunday would leave Keighley with no chance of reaching the guaranteed safety of third bottom in National One.

Keighley's only hope then to ensure National One status would be to overtake Halifax -- currently second bottom -- and gain a place in the convoluted play-off/relegation deciders.

If, as likely, Cougars finish bottom of National One, they will automatically be relegated back to National Two a season after winning promotion.

Talking about his side's performance against league leaders Leigh, Moorby said: "I thought we showed plenty of spirit but once again our ball control was not good.

"That said, there were periods where we matched them for spells but just could not manage to break them down.

"I thought we were unlucky with one or two decisions that did not go our way but that's how it seems to go when things are against you.

"When you are playing well and flying high, you seem to get every decision going. When you're struggling, everything seems to go against you."

"Jason Clegg's try was a good example. On the video the pass looked fine but the touch judge thought different."

Looking ahead to this weekend's match, the Cougars coach admitted his side will be up against it again as they look to claim only their second win of the season.

He said: "Rochdale are on the up at the moment and I'm sure they will be looking to continue their run. We will prepare well as usual and will also be looking to get the result.

"If we can come off the field with our heads held high then you can't really ask for much more than that."

One piece of good news for the beleaguered boss is the likely return from injury of leading try-scorer Matt Foster.

However, Chris Beever (calf) is unlikely to be fit to travel.