They may be the last League 1 side left standing in this year’s Challenge Cup – but Whitehaven coach Carl Forster is happy for his slide to continue to go under the radar ahead of Sunday’s trip to Keighley.
Haven return to league action with a visit to West Yorkshire to take on Craig Lingard’s Cougars, looking to make it seven wins in a row in all competitions.
Two of those have come against higher-ranked opposition in the cup in Championship duo Dewsbury and Rochdale: and Forster believes his side are slowly beginning to fulfil their potential.
He told TotalRL: “We predicted we’d start slowly because we brought ten new faces in – including a new one, six and seven.
“But we didn’t panic after the first two weeks and now, we’re starting to show the real Whitehaven to everyone. This run could go on for as long as we want it to, but we have to take it week by week.
“I prefer to go under the radar anyway! We’re tucked away up in Cumbria, without the resources a lot of bigger clubs have. Let them take the headlines; if we’re in that top five come the end of the season, then we’ll be confident.”
Haven earned a trip to Catalans for their exploits in the cup – and he admits there was a mixed reaction to that draw.
“Wigan, Saints and Warrington had already come out of the hat – there was only Leeds left of the huge sides,” he said.
“We’re disappointed not to be down at the Rec against them, but it’s a trip to France, and who knows when we might get to do that again. The majority of our lads have never done it before and we’re just happy to be in the last 16 – it’s a great achievement. We’ll go there and enjoy ourselves; there’s absolutely no pressure on us. We could have never dreamed of getting this far and I’m glad we’ve been at least rewarded with a tie against a Super League team.”