Luke’s wary of test at Cougars
ROCHDALE Hornets forward Luke Fowden says his side are expecting a tough game this weekend against Keighley Cougars in the Betfred League 1 competition.
The club was due to host Workington Town last Sunday in a highly anticipated clash in League 1 following their close score in the reverse fixture, but it was postponed due to positive Covid cases in the Hornets camp.
Now, the club has confirmed that the team will be back in action against Keighley Cougars this Sunday, August 1, at the Crown Oil Arena.
“I think every game has been a tough test so far,” said Fowden.
“There’s no game you can take lightly.
“Keighley will come also wanting a big result, so we’ve got to be ready for a really tough game.
“Hopefully it won’t be as close as the last game,” Fowden added.
“In the mid-second half it started to get a bit nervy when we should’ve probably seen the game out more comfortably, so we’ve got to be better defensively than we were there.”
Matt Calland’s side currently sit fifth in the table following three wins on the bounce against North Wales Crusaders, London Skolars and West Wales Raiders respectively, while the opposition in Keighley sit just one place above them in fourth on points difference.
“It’s definitely good to be looking up the table again,” said Fowden.
“We’ve got a few key players coming back from injury now, so no doubt that will give us the extra push in the second half and hopefully finish as high in the table as possible.”
The recently club has launched also its community counts initiative, inviting local clubs to join the scheme and redeem free tickets for their league home games in 2021.
The initiative, launched earlier in June, has seen crowds of more than 1,000 at both their home games against North Wales Crusaders and London Skolars so far this season.
“It’s really good seeing a lot of local faces in the crowd,” Fowden added.
“The club is also getting a lot of the local youth teams involved, so it is massive for the town.”
Rochdale recently added Reece Dean to their squad on loan from Championship side Newcastle Thunder, while Hull Kingston Rovers duo Will Tate and Tom Whur also return on short-loan spells from the Super League outfit.
● ROCHDALE Hornets return to action tomorrow (August 1), to host Keighley Cougars at the Crown Oil Arena, with a 3pm kick-off. The club postponed the Round 11 clash with Workington Town due to 11 players and three staff members testing positive for Covid. However, they return this Sunday for Round 12 of the Betfred League 1. The Hornets continue to offer £10 tickets to all fans. Tickets must be purchased online, with no option to pay at the gate. Junior ticket prices are free, while student tickets are £5. There are some restrictions still in place inside the Crown Oil Arena. The lounge is still restricted to numbers and only available for hospitality guests. Hornets saw bumper crowds at the Crown Oil Arena with the return of spectators in July, with six local rugby league community clubs all enjoying the experience. The club, having beaten West Wales in Round 10, are now on a run of three games unbeaten and plan to bring in even bigger crowds – by offering free tickets to all local sports clubs and schools across Rochdale. ●● CONTACT tickets@ hornetsrugbyleague. com to sign up and to attend this weekend’s fixture.