Rochdale Hornets boss Alan Kilshaw has warned Hull Kingston Rovers not to underestimate his side on Sunday.
The promoted Manchester side haven’t won since early March after starting life in the Championship on fire.
So understandably, given the fact that KR are top of the league and go into the game off-the-back of taking a Super League scalp in the Challenge Cup, the hosts will be overwhelming favourites to take the two points.
But having led his side to an against-the-odds victory in Toulouse to seal promotion back to the second tier, Kilshaw has warned Tim Sheens side not to the Hornets lightly.
“I think our boys relish these sorts of games,” Kilshaw told Totalrl.com. “Nobody gave us a chance when we beat Toulouse in the [League One Promotion] final. We’ve been to Bradford and Featherstone and won. We’ve not been far away at Batley and London. Hopefully that cup game will have taken a bit out of them emotionally and physically while we’ve had the weekend off.
“They’re an exceptional side who have improved a lot over the course of the season. Obviously, Tim’s had a big influence on them and the way they play. I think they’re getting close to what he wants from them consistently. It’s a big challenge but the pressures on them, nobody is expecting a result from us.”
If Rochdale wish to win, they have to do it with a thread-bare side as Samir Tahraoui and Jo Taira are both suspended while their injury status has seen one player return from the treatment room, just to be replaced by another.
“We’re a bit busted, we’re a bit bare-bones, to be honest. We’ve got two suspended and Jono Ross has a knee injury, so we’re not sure on the length of time he’s going to be out until we get it further assessed. We get Jack Holmes back this week. The side we put out will be more than competitive.”
