Match thread: Challenge Cup 4th Round. Keighley Cougars v Featherstone Rovers. Sunday 25th February 2024.

[The Phantom Horseman]

Home to Trinity in the next round. We're not going to win the Cup, so that has to class as a good draw, big crowd on the cards even with likely TV coverage.

[The Phantom Horseman]

13 minutes ago, Fevrover said:

But we don't know that when we sign them. Some are good some aren't and we won't know for definite until he plays.

Also, the start of the league season is still 3 weeks away. Not convinced that Massey will prove to be a great signing myself, but surely it's too early to say that he's been a waste of money.

[Fevrover]

11 minutes ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

Also, the start of the league season is still 3 weeks away. Not convinced that Massey will prove to be a great signing myself, but surely it's too early to say that he's been a waste of money.

Definitely. 

[Monkeymagic22]

Best draw we could have got.

[Fevrover]

2 minutes ago, Monkeymagic22 said:

Best draw we could have got.

Yeah £££ and we need it lol.

[lingaro]

56 minutes ago, Fevrover said:

But we don't know that when we sign them. Some are good some aren't and we won't know for definite until he plays.

I think I guessed it. 

[The Phantom Horseman]

27 minutes ago, Monkeymagic22 said:

Best draw we could have got.

The more I think about it, I think you're right. Wakefield are really well supported at the moment, and as a local derby it should be an easy sell to fans of both teams. Whereas say if we get Wigan/Saints/Leeds etc their fans might give it a miss.

Yes it will be very tough to progress from this tie, but we aren't winning the Challenge Cup, a big money-spinner is just what the doctor ordered.

I bet Messrs. Campbell & Vickers are delighted.

 

Edited February 25 by The Phantom Horseman

[haskey]

Where is the draw shown on the website please PH 

[The Phantom Horseman]

4 minutes ago, haskey said:

Where is the draw shown on the website please PH 

https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/challenge-cup-fifth-round-draw-eight-teams-bidding-to-join-super-league-clubs-in-round-6

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/challenge-cup-fifth-round-draw-28702062

[haskey]

Cheers PH I knew you would not let me down

[lingaro]

How did Tanner go? 

[Rovers fev]

Played first 20 looked solid 

[sentoffagain2]

      Last time we played Wakefield at Post Office Road in the Challenge Cup was 1976.Rovers winning 23-9.Later to play for us Tex Hudson  and Ray Handscombe missed the game for Wakey along with Dave Topliss out injured.

[The Phantom Horseman]

12 minutes ago, sentoffagain2 said:

      Last time we played Wakefield at Post Office Road in the Challenge Cup was 1976.Rovers winning 23-9.Later to play for us Tex Hudson  and Ray Handscombe missed the game for Wakey along with Dave Topliss out injured.

I remember watching that game. Which well-known Rovers player made his debut for the club that day?

[sentoffagain2]

20 minutes ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

I remember watching that game. Which well-known Rovers player made his debut for the club that day?

  I know he signed for us about that time would it be Steve Quinn.Who's late penalty goal won the Cup for us in 1983.

[The Phantom Horseman]

Just now, sentoffagain2 said:

  I know he signed for us about that time would it be Steve Quinn.Who's late penalty goal won the Cup for us in 1983.

That's the one! From memory I think he kicked a penalty from inside his own half towards the railway end and I remember marvelling at it because none of the previous kickers I'd seen at Fev really had the leg to attempt those kind of kicks.

[roversspud]

23 minutes ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

I remember watching that game. Which well-known Rovers player made his debut for the club that day?

C'mon without, c'mon within

you'll not see nothing like the mighty ?????

[The Phantom Horseman]

1 minute ago, roversspud said:

C'mon without, c'mon within

you'll not see nothing like the mighty ?????

Nah, Liam Finn made his debut many years later...

[roversspud]

1 minute ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

That's the one! From memory I think he kicked a penalty from inside his own half towards the railway end and I remember marvelling at it because none of the previous kickers I'd seen at Fev really had the leg to attempt those kind of kicks.

The only other kicker who I saw at POR to rival Quinny was the late, great Salford player, David Watkins. I remember him kicking several goals from within his own half at POR. I was lucky enough to meet him in the nineties and all he could remember about playing at POR was getting battered by Jimmy Thompson!

[The Phantom Horseman]

After a sticky first 20 minutes we were pretty good against Keighley considering we've lost our main playmaker. I do think Keighley had probably given their all in their local derby against Bradford a week early as after that first 20 minutes or so their contact in the tackle became very poor and their play didn't have much intensity.

Was great to see Bussey make such a rousing return, Fordy said in his post-game interview that he "just got a bit of tightness" (presumably in his calf), same with Tanner who he also said got a bit of tightness, he said both were just precautionary and that with a blank week next weekend he'll manage their workload as appropriate. On the downside he said Yei was "working hard at his rehab, but still some distance away from being available for selection." On Albert he sounded optimistic and said "he's going to fly here soon" and that he was looking forward to him increasing our firepower but didn't give a timeline.

Bowes went ok at half back against limited opposition, we all know he's not the long-term answer at that position but we're probably going to have to try and muddle through until we can locate a good recognised half back.

It was short odds that Fordy would use the word "adversity" in his post-game interview and I think he managed it in the first sentence, this is what good coaches do, use a setback to rally the team spirit, and I'm sure we'll hear that word a lot from him in forthcoming interviews.

We've now had three examples of the fact that we have too much firepower for lower-league opposition but from now in it will be Championship-quality teams all the way and we face a very tough next few weeks with Wakefield (twice) and Bradford at home, and Batley away. I really don't think our season will be defined by those games and it's unclear yet where we are in the Championship pecking order...we've already lost at Batley with Reynolds in the line-up and we will need to improve both on that performance and the pre-season one against Bradford if we are going to get anything out of those two games...but again I think the first half of the season is about trying to stay in contention and steadily improve to launch a late-season challenge.

Edited February 26 by The Phantom Horseman

[sentoffagain2]

2 minutes ago, roversspud said:

The only other kicker who I saw at POR to rival Quinny was the late, great Salford player, David Watkins. I remember him kicking several goals from within his own half at POR. I was lucky enough to meet him in the nineties and all he could remember about playing at POR was getting battered by Jimmy Thompson!

   We had some cracking games against Salford in the seventies for a couple of seasons we were the top two teams in the league.Sadly gone but Dave Watkins was a very good player ar stand off or centre besides his all round kicking game.A nice bloke as well always had  time to chat to supporters even more so when he worked on Scrumdown.

[The Phantom Horseman]

I can still remember Salford's regular backline from the early 1970s without having to look it up. Paul Charlton at full back, Keith Fielding & Maurice Richards on the wings, Watkins and Chris Hesketh at centre, Kenny Gill and Peter Banner as half backs. You'd think they'd be happy with that, but then they swiped Nashy off us!

[Michael Bates]

How is Yei so unfit? Has he spent the off-season inhaling lard? Or is thinking that Ford didn't rate him and didn't select him last year reading too much into it?

[bigbaldnmad]

I believe he has a knee injury.

[gazza77]

36 minutes ago, Michael Bates said:

How is Yei so unfit? Has he spent the off-season inhaling lard? Or is thinking that Ford didn't rate him and didn't select him last year reading too much into it?

He's going through rehab for an injury,  rather than being "unfit".