Batley boss John Kear admitted his side would have to be on top of their game to get past a resurgent Workington Town this weekend.

Kear was at Sheffield on Saturday to run the rule over the Town side, as they beat the full-time Eagles 37-30.

And he was impressed with the commitment shown by the Town side, particularly the pack, ahead of their showdown at the Zebra Claims Stadium on Sunday (kick-off 3pm).

“I went over to Sheffield to watch the match and they had some key personnel like Jarrod Sammut returning,” said Kear.

“But they put in a really good shift, working hard for each other and I think the scoreline perhaps flattered Sheffield.

“The forward pack is big, tough and aggressive and when you have Jarrad Stack on one side and Brett Phillips on the other, they are a real handful.

“They have good players stretched all over the field and we know that we will have to be very good to come away with anything.”

He also had praise for Declan Hulme and Jack Murphy who also caught the eye.

“I thought Declan Hulme looked good in the centres before he was moved to the wing when Brett Carter was injured,” he added.

“And I’m a big fan of full-back Jack Murphy.

“He has been consistently good since he joined Town from Wigan.

“I know it will be tough, first you have the practicalities of travelling to Workington which is difficult. Then they’re a very physical team to play on quite a tight field.

“There are similiarities in the last couple of seasons since Phil Veivers has been there. They have a scratchy first half of the season and then all of a sudden they come good and stick a run of wins together.

“They certainly have the capabilities to do that.”

Batley are coming into the game following success over Halifax at the weekend to put an end to their four-match losing streak in the Championship.

And again their success has coincided with key players returning to action.

Kear added: “It was a big boost for us getting the win over Halifax because we had lost four league games on the bounce.”