Ben Sagar, a former captain of well-known amateur club Cougar Cubs’ production line, is set to take over at loose forward for Keighley Cougars in their Co-operative Championship One game at Blackpool Panthers on Sunday.

Ben, who made his first team debut against Hunslet on April 13, has been a member of the Cougars first-team squad since then and he is virtually certain to fill the loose forward role left vacant by the injury to Greg Nicholson.

Nicholson slipped a disc in his back during last Sunday’s home win over Swinton Lions.

Sagar is one of the 18-man squad named by head coach Barry Eaton the Cougars fourth fixture against the Panthers this year.

Blackpool won a pre-season game 18-22 at Cougar Park in February and then inflicted a 16-14 defeat on Keighley in the Northern Rail Cup qualifying games. But the Cougars started to re-dress the balance with a 42-22 league win over the Panthers at home on April 26.

Eaton said: “Blackpool coach Martin Crompton has done a great job at Woodlands and they’re a tough team to beat. We shall have to be on our best form to be in with a chance to beat them.”

Back in first team contention this week will be prop Craig Brown, who has missed the last three games with a foot injury, while in the running for the first time will be new signing Australian-born prop Ryan Benjafield who moved to CougarPark from Workington Town this week.

Added Eaton: “We’re just completing the formalities of Ryan’s registration with the RFL”.

Brown’s return to fitness and Benjafield’s arrival means that there is no place in the squad for prop Simon Bissell. Eaton commented: “While it’s tough for Simon, we need competition for first-team places at Keighley.

“That’s part of being a professional player and Simon now knows what he has to do to regain his place in the first team.”

The Cougar squad for the game at Blackpool is: (from) George Rayner, Lee Mapals, Dan Potter, Daley Williams, Damien Reid, Gavin Duffy, Jon Presley, Danny Jones, Scott Law, Andy Shickell, Craig Brown, Ryan Benjafield, Jamaine Wray, James Feather, Will Cartledge, Oliver Pursglove, Ben Sagar, Karl Gunney.