Ex-Leeds Rugby League club boss finds new side: former Hunslet coach makes League One return
A former Hunslet RLFC coach has returned to the English game following time working in Australia.
Alan Kilshaw, who was in charge of Hunslet from July, 2021, until the end of the 2023 season, has been appointed coach of Betfred League One side Keighley Cougars. Kilshaw resigned as Swinton Lions boss last October after their defeat by Hunslet in the Championship/League One relegation/promotion decider.
Hunslet qualified for that game by winning at Keighley in the League One play-off final. Cougars have lost their four league games so far this season and are second from bottom in the table.
Kilshaw, who had a brief spell at Toowoomba Rugby League outfit Oakey Bears, in Queensland, will be in charge for the first time when Cougars play host to Swinton on Sunday. In December, 2024, Kilshaw was handed a three-month coaching ban, suspended for a year, after an RFL investigation into claims he urged his Swinton players to target Widnes Vikings forward Nick Gregon’s injured shoulder during a game last season.
A statement on Cougars’ website said: “Alan has all the attributes and knowledge of the UK game to take this group and club forward. It has been a rocky start to the 2025 season and we, more than most, are not happy with how things are shaping out on the field, but there’s plenty of time to get things right. With the group of players we have at the club, we are sure we will be fighting towards the back end of the season when it really matters. We thank Jordie Hedges for stepping in as interim head-coach. [He] has held himself impeccably and to the highest of standards [and] now reverts back to his role as assistant-coach.”
Keighley’s previous coach, former Castleford Tigers star Jake Webster, stepped down in February to take on a commercial role at the club.