BATLEY Bulldogs will host the Giants on Sunday (2.00) after securing a confidence-boosting 22-10 triumph at fellow Co-operative Championship club Keighley Cougars on Wednesday night.

It was the Bulldogs’ first win under new head coach and former Giants chief John Kear, whose side was beaten 28-6 by Dewsbury in the traditional Boxing Day derby clash.

With Batley having been in midweek action, Kear is unlikely to name his side to face the Giants until the very last minute.

But with the Bulldogs having a limited squad, it’s expected many of their first-choice players will take on a young Huddersfield side in what has become a traditional pre-season tussle.

And if Batley build on the form they showed at Cougar Park, the Giants could be in for a challenging afternoon.

The men from Mount Pleasant raced into an early 10-0 lead, with tries from Alex Bretherton and Danny Mills and a Paul Mennell conversion, and they were unlucky not to be further ahead after having three ‘tries’ disallowed.

But they further underlined their authority later in the contest with tries from Jason Walton and Kris Lythe, both converted by Lewis Palfrey, to seal the outcome.