Cougars roaring back with final now in sight

They face holders Widnes Vikings in the Northern Rail Cup semi-final at Cougar Park tomorrow with Eaton admitting the game alone is a sign of the marked progress the club has made recently.

Keighley – who have battled against a nine-point deduction due to administration this season – earned promotion with last year's success in the Championship One Grand Final.

Although last week's loss against Dewsbury means they face an uphill battle to escape relegation, they have won three of their last five games and are targeting more silverware.

"This is one of the most exciting games in the club's recent history," said Eaton, who played in Super League with Widnes.

"We had that Grand Final last year but this is up there. When I first joined four years ago we knew exactly where we were. We were totally starting from scratch and we've steadily built the club on the playing side of things.

"We suffered a major setback during the off-season with the administration, but we've got new directors in place doing their utmost to take the club forward and it is on a good footing now.

"We're delighted to be there and we're delighted to have a home draw in a semi-final."

Keighley, who should be bolstered by the return of back-row Greg Nicholson and hope to have livewire Jon Presley fit, were thrashed 72-10 by Widnes at the start of the season but have shown vast improvements since.

Widnes have lost five of their last six games although they have expressed a determination to focus all their attentions on retaining the title and setting up a July 18 showdown with Batley at Blackpool.