SHAUN Ainscough will put all his emotions to one side tomorrow when he faces the Bulls for the first time since leaving the club.

The Wiganer proved a popular figure during his two-year stay at Odsal and is set to line up for Batley in the Championship encounter.

Ainscough joined John Kear’s men during the off-season after spending the past two years playing in Australia and for Whitehaven respectively.

He is best remembered for his contribution to Bradford during the crisis-torn 2012 campaign, when the club entered administration and fought for its very survival.

Ainscough said: “Being at Bradford meant everything to me really, especially with everything we went through together.

“I just loved going into training every day and being in a full-time environment.

“Not many people get to do that with their mates – most people are stuck in an office with people they probably don’t even like.

“It would be nice to get a good reception from the Bradford fans and I just have to try and play well and forget about everything else for 80 minutes.”

Ainscough left Odsal at the end of the 2012 season after turning down an offer he at the time said he could not afford to accept.

He went on to play in Australia with the Southcity Bulls for a year and spent last season at Whitehaven before joining Batley ahead of the current campaign.

The Bulls are overwhelming favourites to take the spoils this weekend but Kear has the coveted knack of getting the best out of his players.

“John loves all that, getting the boys motivated,” added Ainscough.

“He’s just going to say ‘Bradford are full-time, we’re the underdogs, so just go out and give it to them’.

“I think the gist of his message will be ‘dare to dream’.

“I enjoy working with John as he’s always had a good word to say about me.

“He’s a good coach and is very adept at getting the boys up for it.

“Have we got a chance? Any side has got a chance.

“We’re coming off a loss at Sheffield and they’ve just had a big win over Hunslet, so hopefully we can catch them off guard.”

Batley have made a steady start to the season but their influential scrum half Scott Leatherbarrow is among their absentees with a broken hand.

That is a big blow, according to Ainscough, who no longer occupies his old wing spot.

He said: “I’ve been playing right-centre, which takes a bit of getting used to, but you get the ball in your hands a bit more and pass it rather than finishing things off.

“I really want to play this weekend because games against the likes of Bradford are the ones you need to play well in to get noticed.

“I’m still only 25 and I have ambitions to play full-time rugby again, but at the same time I’m really enjoying myself at Batley. They’re a good set of lads.”

Ainscough marries his fiancé Lauren on May 25, the day after Batley play Dewsbury in the Summer Bash at Blackpool, and is working three days a week in a Wigan gym to supplement his rugby wage.

He said: “I take fitness classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and it keeps me going as well as working well with my training at Batley.

“But it’s the minimum wage and I could do with getting something guaranteed every day of the week.”

Ainscough said of the Bulls’ promotion hopes: “Leigh are a settled side and the Bulls are a completely new team, but hopefully they will gel as the season goes on.

“At the crunch-time at the end of the season, I think they will have a good chance of going up.”