KEIGHLEY Cougars' head coach Rhys Lovegrove was left frustrated that his side did not make the most of their opportunities and win their Challenge Cup third round tie at home to Newcastle Thunder.

Cougars lost 16-12 in appalling conditions and in a clash which saw a sin-binning, a sending off and two players placed on report, Lovegrove kept his cards close to his chest about any disciplinary issues.

He said: “I’m disappointed that we lacked the ability to get ourselves over the line.

“I can’t really comment on the challenges that resulted in cards and players being put on report as I was too far away from my position and need to see the replays.

“But we had two or three clear cut chances where if we just had push in the right space then we could have taken advantage and got a few more points on the board, especially just before half-time.

“In terms of the second half, we controlled the game well but couldn’t get over the line, so credit to Newcastle because they defended really well.

“I feel more disappointed though for the playing group.

“They played some really attractive footy in the worst conditions you could ever wish to play a game of rugby league in, so I’m disappointed they didn’t get the result that reflected the way we played.”