This should be a cracker. Two teams in form and hopefully Batley will see a very different Fax to the one that performed so poorly at The Shay in't cup. It's allus a good day out at The Mount and with the weather predicted to be good we should see a big following from Fax. On that note does anyone know owt about the ticketing situation for away fans? King's Head shuddersfield, Acorn Barnsley Gold 4.3% Mmm!

Must admit I was hoping that the batley match would be after freedom day and you could have actually turned up on the day if you felt like it . For me the ground is an iconic rugby league venue sloping pitch as well . Never can quite predict what a score will be over there.

Fax 26 batley 16

These will push closer than what york did and will need to be on the ball to beat them

Tickets now on sale on the Batley website.

Always had a lot of respect for Batley, they never fail to turn up and give 110%, we can get a result but will have to be at our best to do it, really looking forward to this one.

Just watched the highlights from Sunday's game again and we are starting to look pretty good. JWH is looking the player he has so often threatened to become and Scott Grix is playing brilliantly at half back. Connor Robinson has a real fight on to get back in the team. I reckon we should look to throw some cash at Amir Borough with him been out of contract at the end of the year, he rips defences apart at this level and will only get better playing with Brandon Moore. As for Sunday its hard to say what happens, if you look at form Batley concede a good number of points per game and we don't so looking at it that way it should be a Fax win but its Batley, they seem to have a huge chip on their shoulder when it comes to us and its always a tough place to go even if it is the best away day in the Championship.

I agree with most of that, Batley do seem to up their game against us. The cup match at The Shay wasn't so much a case of that though, it was more about us being awful on the day. We did have a new team out though and will be a much different proposition this time around. Can't wait for this one and will go for Batley 10 v 20 Fax.

Just seen Sundays squad - Rawsthorne out and Salty which I think makes us stronger - only other change I'd make is Fairbank in for Calcott. Based on recent performances that's a strong team capable of winning although I am never confident going to Batley

Yes IIkley i would go with those changes myself just wish we had hewitt available this week. As for the game it is a tough one to call i will go for 16-24 to fax but nothing would surprise me result wise this sunday especially with a lot of ex fax players playing for batley that does tend to guarantee us a very hard game.

It’s a 19 man squad so Calcott will still be in the 17 with the 2 missing out likely coming from Salty, Davies, McGrath or Rawsthorne.

out of the 19 man squad i would leave out calcott and davies if fairbank is fit that is and rawsthorne is not in the 19 this week he must be injured i would of thought.

Yes, Salty in for Rawsthorne (HIA) and then it’s down to Bob’s fitness.
Hope we don’t get anymore knocks.

That was a well won game. We made many mistakes and penalties given away. But they only scored 1 try. Well played Harris. A doggid determined win. Cut out the penalties and Batley would only have had 6 points. Well done lads up the Panthers

Good result that. I thought the 1st half was a little abject and our discipline and kicking games were not great. I thought we dominated the second half though and just beat them in to submission. To be fair they did hold us out for long periods of the second half but you just felt it were only a matter of time before we scored a few points. I think thats about 7 games now where we have averaged just over 1 try conceded per game in that time span, that is some going. We need to kick on from here and win our next 4 games, do that and we will likely find ourselves in 3rd spot which I fancied us for at the beginning of the season although that looked way out after the Oldham and Bradford games.

Full credit to Simon Grix who has caused a huge turn around in our fortunes and now the team looks to be buying in to and playing for him. Also I don't think Scott Grix had his best game today but our change in fortunes also coincides with him back in the team and a new lease of life at half back where he has been superb the last few weeks.

X2 Saves me typing it.
I will just add, probably the best second half performance up the slope at Batley from any Fax side I have seen in a long time.

Another all round team performance. Strong across the park. I thought Calcott had a super game, lots of strong runs and defence. One set towards the end of the second half he put five big tackles in a row. This helped to keep the pressure on which eventually led to Batley cracking. The kicking game was poor at times but that aside both halves did well. Grix made Woodys try with a sublime pass, Harris` contribution needs no explanation. The lad is coming along nicely. A really enjoyable game between two good and really committed teams.

As an aside what a fantastic crowd at Barrow. I am sure everyone there enjoyed that one too.

I am sure i am not the only one with a few more grey hairs today after yesterdays game. I was starting to get worried at the end of the first half and start of the second the penalties and six agains were starting to add up and the sin binning didnt help either but we limited the damage done during that time and gradually got our way back into the game and when the pressure turned onto batley they started to give some penalties away themselves after a very disciplined first half by them. Our ball players seemed to struggle with there link up play yesterday it was not flowing as well as in previous games but we found a way through more individual play to get us the points which i was more then happy with. Liam harris deserved is mom and i hope this gives him the confidence to back himself more and really attack the line like he did yesterday. The defence again paved the way for the win and i hope they can keep it up because it is becoming a real strength for the team. And a final note for batley keep that up and i have no doubt you will be in the playoffs come the end of the season.

What a game of two halves yesterday. The 1st was as dour as a SL game with a poor kicking game, poor discipline and a lack of attacking ideas. The 2nd was a complete turn around going up the hill and was one of the best Fax performances I've seen this season. All in all a more than satisfactory away day. Up The Fax!

Sunday’s game highlights here. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DmhWhIyHRJA Full match here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6FXssLbUxM

Sunday’s game highlights here. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DmhWhIyHRJA Full match here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6FXssLbUxM

On further reflection of the match I wonder if the kicking game had been part of the game plan. In the first half down hill we kicked landing well short of the Batley line. I now think rather than a poor kick it was intended in order that the ball didn`t go dead so The Bulldogs did not get an extra tackle starting at their 20. If I am right , smart work from coaching team.

Well I thought we had got it wrong first half based on years of how most other teams including Fax have previously approached the game plan at the Mount and the well known thought of (the slope is worth 2 or 3 scores.)
Something like.
Down the slope kick into the corners, pin them in their own half, make them work it up the hill from there, gradually build the pressure and wait for the opening or mistake.
On the day neither side went by this traditional approach for some reason and went about it tit for tat pretty much the same way.
To me that’s what made our second half performance so strong, two fairly even sides going at it full tilt and we got on top from the pack leading the way and the rest taking it on.
It wasn’t so noticeable at the bottom end but at the top end there was a pretty stiff breeze blowing up the slope that with the height on the kicks would have held the ball up whether that played a part?
In the after game interview SG was asked about the slope and more or less said they hadn’t given much thought to it?
One point about sloping pitches, everyone talks about how hard it is to run up the hill to attack but it’s the same for the side who are coming down the slope when defending having to get back the 10 meters onside.
In other words when defending it’s easier when playing up the slope to go down the hill 10 meters to get back onside than to go up the slope to do so, if I’m making sense?

I mentioned this also. It was noticeable that Batley employed the same tactic on their way down the slope too.