Brandon Pickersgill sees League 1 move confirmed, penning long-term deal following Halifax Panthers departure
Brandon Pickersgill in action for Featherstone Rovers in 2022 - Alamy
Brandon Pickersgill has penned a three-year deal with League 1 outfit Keighley Cougars ahead of the 2024 season, following his departure from Halifax Panthers.
The 26-year-old’s exit from Fax was confirmed yesterday afternoon. Having only joined back in March when he signed a two-year deal, the full-back cut his contract short at The Shay in order to depart, with the Panthers stating he had made the decision ‘to take up an opportunity elsewhere.’
Speculation appeared online that Pickersgill may be returning to one of his former clubs in either Bradford Bulls or Featherstone Rovers, but it’s now evident that the ‘opportunity’ he pursued was a longer-term deal with Keighley.
Matt Foster’s Cougars were relegated from the Championship this term by the thin margin of three points – difference, not competition. They have recruited the Bradford-born ace with a contract running until the end of the 2026 season.
Brandon Pickersgill sees League 1 move confirmed, joining Keighley Cougars on long-term deal following Halifax Panthers departure
A product of the Bulls academy, Pickersgill does already have some experience of the third tier having featured as a loanee for London Skolars in 2017, and for hometown club Bradford as they dropped into League 1 the following year.
Injuries and the quality of the players around him have hampered the back over the last few years, in particular his time with Featherstone, who he departed for Halifax having featured just 13 times in the space of a little over 12 months at Post Office Road.
But despite having only appeared on 10 occasions for Simon Grix’s Panthers side since his arrival there in March, he did pick up some silverware, starring under the arch at Wembley against Batley Bulldogs in August as they lifted the 1895 Cup.
Keighley confirmed Pickersgill’s signing last night with a post on their X account – @CougarMania – which read: “Brandon Pickersgill signs a three-year deal and joins the Cougars until the end of 2026!”