This week Keighley have successfully fended off an attempted raid by Halifax for their influential hooker Simeon Hoyle - who has successfully stepped into Jason Ramshaw’s sizeable shoes.

It’s been a frustrating season for Gary Moorby, his side have competed well against NL1’s finest, but come up just short on many occasions. Indeed, last week, the expected Leigh backlash following our pasting of the Centurions didn’t really materialise. Despite Keighley trailing 30-6 at the break, a final score of 48-10 shows that, when the going gets tough, Keighley dig in and fight.

Moorby’s is a no-nonsense, workmanlike team that provides dogged resistance - and the foundation’s laid by a big pack. Phil Stevenson, Jason Clegg and Jamie Fielden provide the graft; Simeon Hoyle provides the craft, ably supported by half backs Craig Nipperess and Matt Firth.

Bobby Goulding will, again, be looking to maintain the momentum of the last few weeks. Conscious of the quad injury aggravated in the warm up last week, it looks like Liam McGovern will hold onto the no. 7 jersey.

With Tommy Hodgkinson and Lee Hansen playing out of their skins at the moment, the Keighley pack will have its hands full and with the side turning into a settled unit Hornets have every chance to put some daylight between themselves and a Halifax side that’s leaching players at the moment (Halifax are at improving Featherstone on Sunday).

Whilst this may not look like a glamourous fixture, it is a very important one. With Batley in with a good chance of losing at at Oldham, a win wouldn’t just give us a chance to open up the gap between us and Halifax, it would put us just a point behind 7th-placed Batley - with the Bulldogs yet to come to Spotland.

Good, huh?

So, as always, your support is absolutely vital to the cause. We’ve seen week in week out how much playing for Rochdale Hornets means to the lads - and it’s our duty to reciprocate. Against Hull KR, Leigh and Oldham the support has been tremendous - but we can’t afford to drop OUR game this week.

So get yourself to Spotland on Sunday and get involved. It’s turning into a better season than any of us could have imagined - and this should be another absolutely cracking game.