GARY McDermott says a spot of revenge is all the motivation Leek need to complete their Midlands Two West North title mission.
The Moorlanders will be crowned champions if they can beat third-placed Moseley Oak at Esterchem Park on Saturday.
Leek are seven points clear of Crewe and Nantwich, who have two games remaining, and 15 ahead of Moseley Oak, who still have four matches to play.
McDermott’s men have won 18 of their 19 league matches, with their only defeat being a 37-18 reverse at the hands of Saturday’s opponents back in December.
“The Moseley Oak game is one we’ve looked at for a while because you want to win the league by beating the sides around you,” said fly-half McDermott.
“It’s a big incentive for us to do it at home and there’s the chance for us to avenge the defeat down there, which was our poorest display of the season.
“It’s going to be a tough challenge, though. Moseley Oak are a good outfit, especially in the forwards and we’re expecting a tough test.
“But we’re unbeaten at home in all competitions this season and that’s a record we want to carry on.”
Winning the league would add a fresh chapter to their season of success.
Leek have already won the Midlands Cup, by beating Bridgnorth 16-14 in a tense final last month.
That has earned them a home national semi-final against Cumbrian side Aspatria on Saturday, April 19, with the winners advancing to the final at Twickenham.
And there is also the Staffordshire Cup on Leek’s radar and a semi-final encounter with Lichfield to fit into their busy schedule.
McDermott admits juggling all of their commitments has been difficult, but says the fact they have managed to overcome every challenge shows the health of the club’s playing squad.
“It has been a real squad effort this season,” he added.
“We’re picking up a few injuries now because of the amount of games, but we’ve used 35 players, so that shows the strength in depth.”
And wrapping up the league title this weekend would enable Leek to turn their attentions to that date with Aspatria later this month.
“It would be nice to win the title this weekend because we can then focus on the Aspatria game knowing that the league has already been put to bed,” explained McDermott.
“There’s not been a lot of talk about that game yet, Our coach, Ian Gittens, is very good at ensuring the players are focused on the next challenge in front of them and not getting too far ahead.
“But it is good that the cup game is coming up. The players know that they have to keep putting in performances to retain their shirt, and that can only raise standards.”
Rugby Union: Leek aiming to complete Midlands Two West North title mission
No comments:
Post a Comment