‘They are playing for their Wembley shirt’ - Craig Lingard wants Batley Bulldogs to maintain ‘intensity’ against Championship leaders Featherstone Rovers in build-up to historic final

Batley made it to the final of the 1895 Cup with a 22-8 victory over York Knights but with testing league games against Fev and then Bradford Bulls coming up, Lingard believes his players will not “want to miss out” on the club’s first ever appearance at the national stadium.

“The players know they are playing for their Wembley shirt,” the head coach, who will be leaving his role at the end of this season, said. “Anybody who drops off knows that they might miss out on the 17 at Wembley. Performance-wise, intensity is going to be there and people won’t want to miss out.

“Hopefully that commitment and intensity will help us over these next two league games, which are important, before we get to Wembley.”

On the prospect of facing a Rovers side at the Millennium Stadium (Saturday, July 29, kick off 6pm) for the first time since their stunning 32-28 play-off semi-final triumph last September, Lingard said:

“They are a good team and you would expect them to be favourites for promotion to Super League, and rightly so with what they have done so far. But, for whatever reason, we seem to have a jinx over Featherstone in recent years.

“Our guys will certainly be up for the contest and I am sure Featherstone will be as well as they will be aware of what we’ve done against them over the last couple of seasons and they will be looking for a real committed performance against us.

“But if we can maintain the intensity and execution like we did against York then there might be an upset on the cards. We will prepare this week like we do any other game.”

Another shock win at Fev would strengthen the Bulldogs’ play-off hopes and could yet go a long way in ensuring another grand final appearance, as well as a Wembley win.

Lingard said: “We have said this for three years now but we are riding that crest of a wave and that wave has turned into a tsunami and it keeps on going and keeps on going and keeps on going. We will keep riding it for as long as we possibly can.

“And if that takes us to a Wembley win and to a top six position, and hopefully a grand final, then we want to keep riding that wave all the way to the end.”

He added: “What else can we achieve at this club? We had a grand final last year which was beyond all expectations. We’re now at Wembley which is beyond all expectations, sat third in the table and the potential of another grand final.

“This club has played a huge part in my life, personally and professionally. For me, to be part of this achievement - and it is the players who have achieved it, not me - is highly emotional and it is really difficult to put into words.”