THE Bulls must be on their guard to avoid becoming Challenge Cup fall guys at Keighley.

The Cougar Park derby was the highlight of the fourth-round draw that was conducted at Odsal.

And Bulls commercial manager Damian Irvine believes the underdog hosts will fancy their chances of bridging the gap with their Championship neighbours.

Irvine said: “There will be so much feeling. Keighley will fancy themselves in this tie, no doubt about it.

“Cup games have a knack of being played in the forwards and then a little bit of magic. Already this has got something special.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen in that 80 minutes but I’ve just got a feeling we’re going to be talking about it for many years.”

After the financial problems which threatened to drag the Cougars under last year, the League One side can look forward to a bumper crowd for a tie that could well be streamed live.

“Lady luck has a funny habit of rewarding hard work and Keighley have been through it tough,” added Irvine.

“It’s a timely draw for Keighley and a nice, close one for our faithful fans. They’ll go in great numbers.

They would have travelled if it was miles away and a two or three-hour trip. But to have it just up the road is so local, so many of their friends will follow the Cougars and vice versa.

“One of the big things about gaining promotion to the Championship was having more localised games and meaningful fixtures.

“While Keighley are still in League One, to get this draw in the cup is just another game that’s within 40 minutes or an hour for our fans to travel.

“You couldn’t ask for a better tie and I’m already excited.”

The Bulls posted 50 points on their neighbours in both league meetings last season but Irvine expects the Cougars to throw everything at them.

“Keighley are a division below but there will be a lot of feeling in that. The first 20 minutes will be fireworks.

“That’s what cup ties are all about. It’s a great way to kick off what I hope will be a long and deep cup campaign for the Bulls.”