BATLEY BULLDOGS will go into the 2026 season with a squad firmly in the James Ford mould.

So says John Kear, who makes way for the new coach, a man he believes “has fire to achieve”, having been central to his appointment.

Kear took the reins, for the second time and on a short-term deal, following the June departure of Mark Moxon, who had been his assistant during his first spell in charge from October 2011 to September 2016.

The seasoned supremo was tasked with steadying the ship and helping select his successor, with the appointment of former York and Featherstone coach Ford, 42, announced last month.

He has since then been preparing for the role he now takes up, and Kear, who says his own lengthy coaching career is over, believes Ford is well equipped to tackle the challenge of taking Batley forward.

Although this season proved tough going – a second-bottom finish with only ten points from 24 matches – under the chairmanship of long-serving Kevin Nicholas, the Fox’s Biscuits Stadium club have built a reputation for punching above their financial weight.

Moxon’s predecessor Craig Lingard led them to the 2022 Championship Grand Final and the following year’s 1895 Cup final, and Kear said: “It’s fair to say that as Batley coach, you have to maximise everything.

“But there’s a great spirit and togetherness, and it’s a great club to be involved with, because there is a sense of realism and stability behind the scenes thanks to the way Kevin runs things.

“James is used to working on a budget from his early days with York (he took over in 2015 when that club were without a permanent home ground due to a wrangle with the council) and he helped lay the foundations for where they are now.

“He has been working on recruitment and retention, and that’s only right, because it’s going to be his team, and I am looking forward to seeing how they go in 2026.”