Cougars 33, Thornhill Trojans 10 - COUGARS did just enough to ensure a safe passage to the fourth round of the Challenge Cup.

Their performance was not as impressive as the previous week against Doncaster, but they are safely through into the next round, and games against amateur clubs are rarely easy these days. Not so long ago the professional club would have been far too fit for their unpaid opponents, but the change back to summer rugby meant Thornhill have already played four months of Conference rugby while the Cougars were playing only their second game.

Certainly the Dewsbury side got stronger as the game went on, partly due to the fitness, partly due to a marked drop in Cougar intensity. The fact that they bagged two tries in the last 10 minutes proved their tenacity and will give the Keighley coaching staff something to work on over the next couple of weeks.

The fact that Cougars went 20-0 up after 32 minutes didn't really help them too much. The game was obviously in the bag and that it just when players get sloppy, miss tackles, and generally allow teams like Thornhill to get a toehold in the game.

There were some outstanding solo performances from the Keighley boys. Matt Firth and Simeon Hoyle again looked top drawer, but the star of the show was undoubtedly Paul Ashton. He finished with a personal tally of 21 points and if there had been a man of the match award he would have got it unanimously.

He started the ball rolling in the seventh minute when he took a superb one-handed pass from Andy Robinson to race 55 metres upfield to touch down. He then added the first of his six-out-of-six goals.

The Cougars found Thornhill difficult to break down and although they ran up a big first half lead they rarely looked like racing to a landslide victory.

After Ashton's early score, and a penalty, they had to wait until the 23rd minute for the next try with Simeon Hoyle making a determined run to the line off a Jason Ramshaw pass. Ashton again adding the conversion to make it 14-0.

Ashton then bagged his second try in similar fashion to his first, his superb support play and lightning pace allowing him to race onto another one-handed pass, this time from Phil Stephenson, and raced 40 metres to score.

Cougars turned round 20-0 up and five minutes after the break Firth wrong-footed the Thornhill defence and strolled in. Ashton converted an added a field goal. At 27-0 up the Cougars looked to be coasting, but Thornhill refused to fold and went close a couple of times before Jason Firth went over from close range, Craig Holmes converting in the 70th minute.

Keighley added one more try, but were lucky to do so, a blatant forward pass from Chris Wainwright sent Karl Smith on a 50-metre run to the corner. Ashton duly converted the hardest of his six kicks.

Thornhill were then gifted a second try. A series of bad passes was completed by a lob from Danny Ekis which was gratefully plucked out of the air by Danny Howley who went 45 metres to touch down and give the scoreline an air of respectability which the amateur side deserved.

In many repects it was great to feel disappointed that Cougars hand't secured a more emphatic victory. It is a reflection of the new wave of optimism and expectation which is now alive at Cougar Park.

Certainly the coaching staff need not feel too disappointed, they have come from the amateur ranks themselves and know how determined a league side can be when faced with the opportunity of testing themselves against professionals.

But there was also a warning that Cougars need to learn to play very controlled rugby when it is needed. If they had cut out errors late int he game they could certainly have prevented Trojans getting on the scoreboard.

In the next round they must travel down to Sheffield to meet the Eagles who beat Oulton Raiders 22-8 on Friday night, but were said to be less than impressive.