Huge Challenge

Agar's injury-ravaged outfit visit Featherstone aiming to upset the odds and defeat Rovers for a second week on the bounce following last Sunday's 18-16 Arriva Trains Cup triumph.

That victory gave the Knights real belief that they can topple Rovers on their own turf tomorrow, but the injury situation has left Agar - who himself has been side-tracked this week by the birth of his son, James - with an almost carefree attitude going into the game.

"I don't feel there's any pressure on us," he told the Evening Press.

"I would have loved to have been able to go there with a full team firing on all cylinders, but you can only play the hand you're dealt and it's a great opportunity for us to enjoy ourselves and not worry about the result.

"We've nothing to lose. If there was any pressure, we took it off by getting the result last week. They will want to rectify that - they're National League One, we're National League Two and they were disappointed last week."

As revealed in yesterday's Evening Press, Agar hoped to have a "trick up his sleeve" to give the team a boost, but just what this trick entails is only likely to become public tomorrow.

The team would otherwise feature the 15 fit players plus, said Agar, "whoever else is fittest" - though whether the half-fit players actually play would come down to circumstances.

He added: "We've had a very light-hearted week, knowing full well just how short on troops we are. I will be telling the players to go out and enjoy themselves.

"We've still got a lot of good attacking players and if we can back it up with some defence, we might do alright."

Agar also hinted the Knights already had one eye on the NL2 campaign, which starts in a month's time.

"We will have a lot of pressure on us this year as some people have made us favourites for NL2, so tomorrow will be a nice break," he said.

"We've got off to a great start which is what we wanted but it's also been a very tough start, and we don't want to be going into the league season with a squad that's busted up.

"We need to get this game out of the way and start making sure we've everyone fit and fresh and firing on all cylinders for the league campaign."

Conversely, determination was the watchword Featherstone coach Gary Price has brandished ahead of tomorrow's clash.

Price wants to see more fire in Rovers' collective belly as his side seek to avenge last week's defeat at Huntington Stadium.

"We lacked that, and a few other things, when we played York last week and it just wasn't good enough," growled Price, who dragged his players straight on to the bus immediately after that game such was his ire at losing at Huntington Stadium.

"I'm having to educate the players by ensuring that they don't drop their heads when things go a little bit wrong."

But while Price was "very disappointed" with Featherstone's efforts in last weeks' loss, it has galvanised his resolve to take the Challenge Cup spoils.

"Last week's result has no bearing on what lies ahead. This is a one-off

game and we will go into it full of confidence," said Price, who could be boosted by the return of key forwards Bryan Henare and Andy Jarrett and winger Jamie Stokes.

Knights (probable): Graham, Stewart, Cain, Wood, Godfrey, Rhodes, Brough, Forsyth, Jackson, Sozi, Callaghan, D Briggs, Friend. Subs: Elston, Walker, plus others to be selected.

Rovers: from Batty, Ford, Coventry, Newlove, Wray, Presley, C Briggs, Tonks, Darley, Dickens, Dooler, Blakeway, Hayes, Archbald, Chapman, Patrickson, Carlton, Henare, Jarrett, Stokes.

Updated: 10:35 Saturday, March 13, 2004