Nicholas starting to dream

KEVIN NICHOLAS admits his Batley part-timers have over-achieved – but now they are dreaming even bigger.

The Bulldogs will book themselves a place in the Middle Eights if they win at Swinton today.

That gives them a crack at promotion and battles with four Super League clubs – including current champions Leeds – much to the delight of Nicholas. The chairman (left) said: “This will probably be a one-off where Leeds are in this situation but it’s a great occasion for us. “We were hoping for a top-half position so we have probably done a little bit better than we expected to.

“Getting into the Super League is in the back of your mind and you always want to dream.

“But our initial philosophy is to enjoy it because we’ve got a chance to play some big clubs.”

If Batley are victorious at Heywood Road today, the final spot in the Middle Eights will go to the winner of the match between Featherstone and Bradford.

Swinton v Batley, Today 3pm