Kear demands better in run of home games

Batley Bulldogs will look to turn round their fortunes with a run of three consecutive home games in the next 10 days.
Batleys Sam Scott is wrapped up by the Featherstone defence in Sundays Championship clash. Picture: Bob NunnBatleys Sam Scott is wrapped up by the Featherstone defence in Sundays Championship clash. Picture: Bob Nunn
Batleys Sam Scott is wrapped up by the Featherstone defence in Sundays Championship clash. Picture: Bob Nunn

Batley welcome third placed Sheffield Eagles to Fox’s Biscuits Stadium tomorrow (Friday) before entertaining London Broncos next Wednesday, both games kick off at 7.30pm.

The trio of home fixtures ends with the visit of unbeaten Kingstone Press Championship leaders Leigh Centurions on Sunday week and Batley know the importance the next three games will have on their season.

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Batley suffered a 44-16 defeat at Featherstone Rovers last Sunday, having trailed 34-0 at half-time, after what coach John Kear described as his side’s worst 40 minutes of the season.

Batley have won just one of their last eight league games but will look to change those fortunes, starting against the much-fancied Eagles.

Kear added: “We’ve got a really tough three games in a short period of time, with Sheffield, London and then Leigh.

“If we start like we started on Sunday we’ll get what we’ve got.

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“It’s an old Wayne Bennett saying; if you do what you’ve always done you get what you always got, so we’ve got to have to do something different. We are going to have to prepare much better.”

Full-back James Craven missed the trip to Featherstone having failed a fitness test with a heel injury but Batley will hope he is back in contention for the visit of Sheffield.

Kear added: “We haven’t got the biggest squad but it isn’t a matter of that.

“We’ve got to look back at the first-half (from Featherstone) and there will have to be some soul searching and there will have to be a real good look at what we did.”