KEIGHLEY boss Craig Lingard believes Kingstone Press League One is the most competitive it has ever been as his side prepare for a potentially vital clash with old foes York City Knights.

Victory over London Skolars last weekend kept the Cougars on course for the Super 8s with four games to go before the league splits.

But, like Sunday's opponents York, they face a difficult run-in to the regular campaign, featuring two tough trips to Cumbria to face Whitehaven and Workington before they end with a visit from Oxford.

The Knights, meanwhile, must go over the Atlantic to title certainties Toronto Wolfpack and they too face Workington, with only the visit of struggling Hemel being a relative banker.

While Toronto, Haven and Barrow are clear at the top, only six points separate fourth-placed York from 13th-placed North Wales Crusaders as the race for the top eight intensifies. The Knights are only two ahead of the Cougars and have only a four-point cushion for the Super 8s.

Lingard said: “This is the most competitive League One has ever been.

“There’s never been a Toronto before and three Cumbrian teams in there.

“Then you’ve got the heartland teams, including ourselves, and expansion teams, who have had five, six, seven years to get going and are now finding their feet and stronger.

“Every team in the league has got players who have ability and like to play a bit of rugby.

“If the defence is good then they are going to score points against you, so it is very difficult at the minute.

“You have no God-given right to be in the top eight or the top four. You’ve got to fight for every point you get.”

With Bradford Bulls also apparently heading for relegation to League One, Lingard expects next season to be just as tough.

He said: “As it stands at the minute, you’ll have Bradford and Dewsbury coming down from the Championship.

“You’ll have Toronto going up and one of the other big teams but they look like they could be replaced by big teams coming down.

“It’s not going to get any easier, so it’s massively important for us to try and get out of this league as soon as we can and try to establish ourselves in the Championship.”

Keighley would leapfrog the Knights this weekend with victory – thanks to their points-difference being the best below the top three.

Lingard said: “The points difference we have got at the minute is almost worth an extra point.”

Meanwhile, Keighley centre Josh Casey joined Hemel on a month’s loan last week, debuting in their defeat to Gloucestershire All Golds.