KEIGHLEY Cougars kick off their Betfred League 1 play-off campaign at home to Rochdale Hornets this Sunday, as they bid to banish some ghosts from earlier in the season.

Rochdale beat Keighley in the latter’s previous game three whole weeks ago, a lengthy gap that has frustrated interim head coach Jake Webster.

And the last time the pair faced off at Cougar Park in July, they played out a 20-20 draw, a disappointing result that paved the way for the controversial sacking of club legend Matt Foster two days later, despite his side leading the table at that stage.

Webster bore much of the backlash, along with co-owners Ryan O'Neill and Garcia and chief operating officer Steve Watkinson, with many fans complaining the Australian had too much control as director of rugby, and he admitted his head “wobbled a little bit” as he came to terms with the criticism.

Reflecting on that difficult period ahead of Rochdale’s return to Cougar Park this weekend, Webster said: “There was a lot of noise, and my head wobbled a little bit.

“Everyone’s entitled to an opinion but getting personal, I think was wrong.

“They don’t know the ins and outs of it all, they don’t know why it all happened, even if they’ve probably got an idea and the finer details are best left behind closed doors.

“But at the end of the day, we made that decision, and I had to deal with the backlash.

The sacking of Matt Foster in July was widely unpopular, and led to the Cougars hierarchy receiving stinging criticism. (Image: JT Sports Media.)

“I did that with the support of the boys, Ryan, Kaue, Steve and the coaching staff all stuck by me, and I owe them a lot.

“I had a job to do, because a lot of people were relying on me to step up, and once I’d had my little head wobble, I had my sights firmly set on what we set out to do at the start of the year.

“I turned my mood around pretty quickly, because there was no time to feel sorry for myself or blame anyone, I just had to get my head down and get into the head coaching role.”

Webster’s record in his seven games so far has been patchy, with twin defeats to Oldham costing them the title, while that 32-18 final-day defeat at Rochdale sent them into the play-offs on a low note.

Reflecting on the chance to quickly avenge that loss against the Hornets and move into the play-off final on the first weekend of October, Webster said: “One of the biggest lessons we learnt that day was that you can’t just turn up and win a game.

“The boys are still licking their wounds from that day and they’ve got a point to prove to themselves, the fans and the club now.

“They’ve spoken out vocally about that afternoon in our last few training sessions, so it has hurt them.

“But credit to Rochdale, they’re a very clinical side and good at what they do.

“Gary Thornton has them playing some great footy and they don’t go away, so you can’t give them any opportunities.

“They’ve got Lewis Else in their side too, who’s a gamebreaker.

“I watched their play-off win over Hunslet on Sunday, and give him room, and he can create something out of nothing.

“We’ve done our homework and learned from our mistakes, and we know we’re even with them this season, with three points each.

Cougars won at Rochdale in April, but the Hornets have caused them real bother since.Cougars won at Rochdale in April, but the Hornets have caused them real bother since. (Image: JT Sports Media.)

“That’s definitely going to be sitting on the boys’ minds and from what I saw on the training field last week, the defeat a few weeks ago is something the lads want to put right.”

But will such a long gap between matches have affected the Cougars players?

Webster reflected: “It’s very frustrating to have had to wait three weeks for this game.

“I don’t understand it and I don’t get it but they’re the cards we’ve been dealt, so we’re not making any excuses at all.

“It’s a challenge for us to overcome, but every team had at least one week off before the play-offs, and we made sure training was quite intense last week, up to game standard.

“Hopefully the boys are mentally prepared and go into the game with a fresh outlook, ready to rock on Sunday.”

The game kicks off at 3pm and Cougars will still be alive in the play-offs even if they lose on Sunday.

That would put them into the preliminary final at home to either Hunslet or Midlands Hurricanes.