Craig Lingard Preview: Batley Bulldogs' Monday evening trip to York Knights one of three enticing Championship games involving play-off hopefuls

Batley’s do-or-die fixture in front of the Viaplay television cameras (kick off 7.45pm) is the final game of round 26. Currently occupying the final play-off spot, in sixth, they could be dislodged if seventh placed Halifax Panthers win at struggling Keighley Cougars or if eighth placed Widnes Vikings beat third placed Sheffield Eagles, who still need one more victory to secure their own place in the end-of-season extravaganza, on Sunday. A York win would also see them leapfrog the Bulldogs. Two Batley victories – against York and bottom side Newcastle on the final weekend – will, however, be enough to secure a top six position.

London Broncos and Bradford Bulls, in fourth and fifth respectively, also meet each other on what could be a season-defining weekend.

And with seven teams vying for four places, with only four points the difference, it is certainly going to be a dramatic end to the 2023 campaign, according to Batley head coach Craig Lingard.

He said: “It has proved to be the most competitive season to date with the final places going to be decided on the final day of the season. As the league table suggests, everybody is beating everybody in the league this season.

“Every game does count. That is what the competition should be. Mathematically, we can still finish anywhere between fourth and ninth with two games left which is how the competition should be.

“But we’re in control of our own destiny. We lost six games on the bounce, and if we could have done what we needed to do in a couple of those games we could be sat feet-up knowing we’re secure in the play-offs.

“As it is, we’ve got York which is a huge game for us. If they beat us they go above us, if we beat them, we just need to beat Newcastle in the last game of the season to secure the play-offs.”

He added: “On paper, Halifax have got an easier run-in with Keighley and Swinton, teams further down the table rather than up the table. Bradford have got London and Sheffield away so they could struggle potentially.”

As for the challenge of York, who have won their last four games, at the LNER Community Stadium, scene of the Bulldogs’ memorable 1895 Cup semi-final victory which secured the club’s first ever appearance at Wembley, Lingard said:

“They are flying, they’ve won eight out of their last nine and we’ve won one out of our last seven league games, so you’d say York, with home advantage and the form that they’re in, go into this as favourites even though they’re just below us in the league.”

But while Martyn Reilly should be available to Lingard after it was confirmed he hadn’t suffered an ACL injury at Widnes, the Bulldogs could be without James Brown and Samy Kibula for the “remainder of the season.”

“We are right down to the bare bones again,” admitted Lingard. “It is going to be a difficult task for us.

“We know that it is going to be a really tough challenge for us at York with 100 per cent of our players available but we’ve potentially four significant players missing, so it is going to be even more difficult now.”