Batley Bulldogs: Bulldogs ready to test their training routines in a match situation

Bulldogs beat Dewsbury Rams on Boxing Day, but last week’s scheduled fixture against Bradford Bulls was called off.

“We’re looking forward to it,” boss Matt Diskin said of the clash with League One Cougars, who are coached by former Batley player and assistant-boss Craig Lingard.

“We missed the game last week so the boys are itching to get their boots back on.”
Diskin insisted last Sunday’s unwanted day off has not derailed his preparations for the new Kingstone Press Championship season, which for Bulldogs begins with a trip to promoted Toulouse on February 4.

“It would have done us a lot of good if we’d played, but I don’t think it was a massive setback,” said the ex-Leeds Rhinos and Bradford hooker.

“We’ve trained really well and we need them to put some of the new processes into practice under pressure.

“It’s okay in training, when it’s safe and secure, but you need a game to test things. We want to see what we’re doing well and what we need to improve on.”

Dane Manning and James Brown have recovered from injury and will feature tomorrow, leaving only Joel Farrell and Adam Gledhill on the casualty list.