COUGARS can enjoy a free weekend sitting on top of the league -- with the prospect of more good times to come.

The weekend break while the Arriva Trains Cup quarter-finals take place, gives the squad time to re-charge their batteries after starting the league season with four wins from their first four games.

They return to action on Sunday May 25 with a trip to Workington as they bid to keep their 100 per cent record alive. That game will be followed by a clash with Barrow at Cougar Park.

"It has been great to start off the league season with four wins, and know that there is still plenty of potential for further improvement," said coach Gary Moorby.

They have clocked up wins over Hunslet, London Skolars, Chorley and York. Already the team is being compared with the squad of 1992-93 which went on to win the Division Three championship.

That team, coached by Peter roe, ignited the flame which burned brightly during the 'Cougarmania' years and was to lay the foundation for success which took the club to the brink of Super League, when they were denied promotion despite winning the Second Division and Division Two Premiership at Old Trafford in 1994-95.

The team of the early 1900's was based on youth which grew in confidence with every game.

"The great thing about this season is that we have beaten teams which have much more experience and, on paper, should be teaching us a lesson. Last season they might have got the better of us but 12 months down the line we have grown as a team.

"The lads are really starting to play together and one day they will really 'click' and a team is going to really suffer," Moorby said.

He added: "Our only problem is that we don't have an A team so that all our squad players can be getting a game week in and week out. The most difficult part of my job is telling players that they will not be playing one week.

"They are really gutted, but no one is whinging and they are all really working hard in training and desperate to get back into the reckoning."

Winger Andy Robinson (pictured) has been among the players waiting his chance, and he grabbed the opportunity against York last week when he produced his best performance since joining the club.

"We had a tremendous first half, which was possibly the best we have played since I took over. Some of the lads were disappointed afterwards because we had let them back in, but their late tries made the game look closer than it was.

"We achieved what we set out to do, and are top of the table -- they should hold their heads high," he said.