FORMER Keighley Cougars boss Craig Lingard has been appointed new head coach at Championship club Batley.

The 42-year-old, who is the Bulldogs' record try-scorer with 142 tries in 206 appearances from 1998-2008, was assistant coach under John Kear at Mount Pleasant before joining Cougars in September 2016.

He takes over from former Bulls and Leeds hooker Matt Diskin, who parted company with the club earlier this week.

Lingard was surprisingly sacked by Keighley in May despite only losing two of their first eight League One games after suffering a 12-point deduction due to off-field issues.

Batley have also brought back former head coach Karl Harrison, who guided them to Northern Rail Cup success in 2010, as consultant adviser to the coaching staff.