1895 Cup preview: ‘Great result’ against Featherstone Rovers ‘will mean nothing’ if Batley Bulldogs ‘don’t get the job done’ at Hunslet

The Bulldogs, against the odds, defeated Featherstone Rovers in their opening group fixture after Fev had put themselves in pole position in group 5 thanks to a 62-12 win over the Parksiders.

But Batley’s dramatic 15-14 triumph over Rovers means progress is firmly in their own hands going into this weekend’s crucial encounter.

Head coach Mark Moxon said: “We will need to play for 80 minutes. I am expecting a tough encounter where we will need to grind out a result. Hunslet pushed Keighley close in the Challenge Cup and we will be doing our research and due diligence to make sure we are prepared and ready for what is coming on Sunday.

“The prize is there at the end of it. We had a great result against Featherstone but it will mean nothing if we don’t get the job done this weekend. It is a huge game. We need to prepare well for it.

“It’s knockout rugby because if we don’t win we won’t go through. We need the victory.”

And Hunslet is a club where many people at Batley, including Moxon himself, have “fond memories” of.

He revealed: “That’s where myself and the Gibbons twins (David and Anthony) met, when we were all playing for Hunslet. The Burton (Joe and Oli) connection is there as well, while Dave Gibbons also played there.

“It is a place where we have all got fond memories of but that won’t stand for anything once the game kicks off.”

One player who could be crucial to Batley getting a result is new signing and Greece international Johnny Mitsias, who is building up fitness following an achilles injury and is, therefore, still awaiting his Bulldogs debut having signed from Australian side Western Suburbs Magpies.

Moxon said: “We are hoping Johnny is available, especially as we have a few bumps, bruises and niggles from Sunday. He has done some field sessions and a bit of contact, but we need a final check on him with the medical team before he gets the go ahead.

“We’re just making sure he is right before we let him go. He’s a little bit unknown but we did our research before he came and we’ve seen lots of clips but we haven’t obviously seen him live.”