After watching Keighley Cougars earn their third victory in as many games during his spell as caretaker coach, Frank Punchard pleaded with the board to give him the job full-time.

Confusion has surrounded who the successor to Lee Crooks will be, with former Villeneuve boss Dave Ellis tipped earlier this week to take charge of Cougars at Swinton yesterday.

However, Ellis had not indicated yet whether he wants the role amid speculation that he has also been asked to coach the Racing Club de Paris side.

With the matter not resolved, Punchard again took charge of Keighley and was rewarded with his side producing one of their best displays of the season.

And after the pulsating 15-14 victory at Gigg Lane, Punchard said: "The directors will make their decision, but I have enjoyed it enormously and I have to say I would walk barefoot from Castleford to Keighley for this job - I want it.

"I can only do what I have done so far in three games. The players have responded magnificently, and I would like to thank them for that.

"The major doubt over me appears to be whether the players respect me, because I am not a big name.

"I think this club needs a period of stability, but whatever happens, I have loved every minute of it and I would like to thank the directors for giving me this chance."

Punchard's future is expected to be decided today when the Cougars board meet, but he cannot have done his cause any harm with this fine victory.

The caretaker coach has certainly made Keighley more positive going forward, with creative players such as man of the match Chris Robinson revelling in his new-found freedom, along with Nathan Antonik, Jason Ramshaw and Martin Wood.

This was apparent throughout an entertaining first half in which the Cougars carved open Swinton's defence several times, the only surprise being that they did not enjoy a commanding lead by the break.

Swinton took the lead in the fifth minute when Paul Barrow nipped through, but Keighley hit back with a concerted spell of pressure which yielded tries for Max Tomlinson and Jason Lee.

Slack tackling then let the Lions in again, only for the try of this or any other match to give Cougars a crucial lead at the interval.

The move started when Swinton lost possession 20 metres inside the Cougars half. Matt Foster collected the ball and raced to halfway before finding Lee.

The Cougars winger then did what he does best, pinning his ears back and racing for the line. The half-time hooter then blew, but just as he appeared ready to be tackled, Lee found an extra yard of pace to leave the defence trailing as he touched down.

That gave Cougars a 14-12 lead, only for Sean Casey to equalise with a penalty four minutes after the break.

Keighley were the better side in the second half, but could not find a way through, with their only second half point being a Jason Ramshaw drop goal after 61 minutes.

However, that point proved crucial as some tremendous defensive work allowed Punchard to maintain his 100 per cent record and lift his hopes of taking the job on a permanent basis.

The caretaker coach rightly paid tribute to his players: "We have been criticised for our defence in recent weeks, but I thought the lads were magnificent against Swinton.

"The players have shown what a professional bunch they are over the last few weeks. I was also pleased with our work going forward.

"I have encouraged the players to be a bit more adventurous in attack. There is a fine line between that and being giddy, but I thought our attacking work was magnificent."

RICHARD SUTCLIFFE

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