Championship club rocked by coaching departure on eve of season
Picture by Olly Hassell/SWpix.com.
Keighley Cougars have parted company with head coach Alan Kilshaw just two weeks out from the start of the new season – with Kilshaw accepting an opportunity elsewhere.
Kilshaw was readying the Cougars for their first season back in the Championship following the merger of the second tier with League 1. However, he will now be replaced by Dan Burton, who becomes the interim head coach while a hunt for Kilshaw’s permanent successor begins.
The former Rochdale Hornets head coach has, in the Cougars’ words, ‘been presented with a significant opportunity away from the club that he wishes to pursue’.
That means Kilshaw leaves Keighley just two weeks out from their opening fixture of the 2026 season.
He said: “This wasn’t an easy decision for me to make, but I feel the club is in a really good place. With Ryan (O’Neill) and Kaue (Garcia) now more hands-on, there’s a strong structure in place, and a lot of good work has been done throughout pre-season which I’m confident will be evident in the performances this season.
“It’s been a privilege to coach this group of players and work with the staff, and I’m excited to watch how the next generation of Cougars continue to develop. I’d like to thank everyone at the club for the opportunity and support during my time here and wish the club nothing but success moving forward.”
Managing director Garcia admitted: “It has been an absolute pleasure working with Killer. We are gutted to see him leave, but we understand that he has an opportunity that he wants to pursue, and we wish him all the luck for him in the future.”
Co-owner Ryan O’neill admitted he was sad to see Kilshaw depart, but could not begrudge him the opportunity that he will now take up elsewhere.
He said: “It is with real sadness that we see Killer leave the club. We could not have been happier with how he was performing as head coach. In life, opportunities come along that are too good to turn down, I don’t for one moment blame Killer for following something that is right for him. I genuinely wish him every best of luck and success for the future.”
