Batley Bulldogs: Positive vibes for Batley boss Kear

Bulldogs stunned competition favourites Leigh Centurions with a shock victory in round one and pushed hosts Featherstone Rovers all the way before going down to a 14-12 defeat two days ago.

Kear was disappointed with the weekend’s result, but encouraged by the performance, particularly backing up from the huge effort seven days earlier.

“It was a really tough game,” said Kear, whose side trailed 12-6 at half-time.

“I was pleased because, rather than falling in love with themselves from the week before, they came up with another good performance.

“They just came up short on the scoreboard, but they played well.”

Kear feels there are positive signs for the future. He added: “Very much so.

“If we maintain the quality of performance we’ve had against Leigh and Featherstone for the rest of the year, we should be in for a pretty good season.”

One concern is Bulldogs’ mounting injury list. Shaun Squires suffered a knee problem and will be assessed tonight, but could be sidelined for around a month. James Davey, Sam Scott and Brad Day all missed Sunday’s match and are facing a lengthy layoff.