Batley Bulldogs v Dewsbury Rams: Matt Diskin’s expecting a physical test against Rams

Batley Bulldogs boss Matt Diskin is predicting a Bash backlash in Blackpool tomorrow (3.15pm).
Summer Bash 2019.Summer Bash 2019.
Summer Bash 2019.

The Betfred Championship’s Summer Bash will be Bulldogs’ first meeting with Dewsbury Rams since they pulled off a remarkable 20-8 away win at Easter, after being 8-0 behind and playing with 12 men for an hour and a spell with only 11.

“It was a gutsy win, we showed plenty of character,” Diskin recalled. “Having read the comments by Lee [Greenwood, Rams’ coach] in the press afterwards, he was very disappointed by his team’s physicality – he felt they got dominated a bit. They are going to be looking to give us a physical battle and we are expecting a backlash.”

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But Diskin believes Bulldogs will prevail if they avoid the “silly errors and lapses of concentration” which cost them victory at York City Knights last time out.

“We have been playing some really good stuff, but we are our own worst enemies,” he said.

“We were the better side all the way through, but we gifted 16 points to York.

“That’s been the story for the last few years, but if the players can concentrate for 80 minutes and do their job we are confident.”

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After their Good Friday disappointment, Greenwood admitted Rams “owe a performance to ourselves and the people who come to watch us”.

He said: “The people who are making the effort to go to Blackpool on Sunday deserve everyone to put in a performance. If it’s enough to win, great, but let’s not come off thinking we should have done better.”

Playing at Bloomfield Road makes the fixture special, but the Rams coach insisted: “It’s bigger than a normal game anyway because we are playing Batley, our local rivals. They are a point above us so we are close to each other in the table, but neither of us is where we totally want to be.

“There’s pressure on both teams.

“We want to win because it’s at Blackpool, it’s on TV and nobody wants to lose the bragging rights, but we just want to go out and put a shift in, really.

“If we can all come off the field knowing we’ve given absolutely everything, I will take that.”