Cougars chief Jason Demetriou has called on his players to prove they can handle the pressure.

Entering the campaign among the favourites for promotion from Championship One, expectation will weigh heavy on Keighley and their rookie coach.

But Demetriou sees Sunday’s Peter Fell Memorial match against a Keighley amateur select side as the perfect test of his side’s mettle.

He said: “A lot of people have already suggested we are going into this season as promotion favourites and I’m not buying into that at all. Championship One has got better this year and it’ll be really tough.

“It’s a situation that puts pressure on the players and they’re in a similar position on Sunday.

“It won’t be an easy game but we’ll be expected to win, so it’ll be a good chance to see how the boys handle that kind of situation.”

The Peter Fell clash, established by previous head coach Barry Eaton, has become an integral part of pre-season and is one Demetriou is keen to maintain.

Having taken charge of his first game in the Cougars hot-seat against Rochdale last week, it will provide another chance for the Aussie to analyse both strengths and weaknesses in his squad.

But as much as Demetriou will be keeping a close eye on his own charges, he admits there is an opportunity for the amateur players – drawn from Keighley Albion, Keighley Town, Silsden and Keighley RUFC – to steal the limelight.

“It’s a good concept and gets people who might not usually come to games down to the ground,” he said.

“The amateur game is important and we need to make sure we build bridges with local teams and get people involved with the club.

“It’s a good boost for them to get out there and show what they are capable of. I’ll be watching them closely because you don’t know what’s out there and there are talented players in the amateur game.”

Demetriou is likely to go with a scaled-down squad for the game in a bid to give every player as much game-time as possible ahead of the Northern Rail Cup opener against Rochdale on February 6.

Luke Helliwell is expected to be fit, despite being knocked unconscious during the win against Rochdale, while Tom Burton is available after returning from holiday.

Demetriou said: “I’m not going to play as many this week. I will probably run with 18 or 19 because it’s too hard when you’ve got 20 players and I want to give everyone a good hit-out.

“Luke should be fine for Sunday. The good thing about last week’s game was that we came through it without any injuries.

“I wanted to play myself this week but I think I’ll be smart about it and look to return against Hunslet instead.”