Underbank player-coach Richard Knight is determined to see his side maintain their momentum in tomorrow’s home National Conference League Third Division clash against Heworth.
Knight’s men have been in excellent form over the past fortnight, chalking up a quality triumph at title rivals Crosfields before knocking high-flying First Division side Milford Marlins out of the Conference Challenge Trophy six days ago.
Those results have obviously put Rangers in buoyant mood ahead of a weekend fixture against York side Heworth that should result in a relatively straightforward win.
But Knight has made it clear he won’t tolerate a drop in standard for his second-placed side, and could look at making changes if that’s not the case.
“The nature of our last two wins has put everyone in a really positive mood,” said Knight, who is ready to partner Michael Murphy at half-back tomorrow.
“Our second-half performance at Crosfields was the best since I’ve been at the club, while the character and work ethic on show at Milford was outstanding. Twice in that game we successfully defended six back-to-back sets, which is a remarkable achievement in anyone’s book.
“Being able to do things like that is fantastic for your confidence, and I know how much the boys are looking to building on those results this weekend.
“It’s a game we should be winning, because Heworth are going through a bit of a squad rebuilding process at the moment, but that doesn’t mean I expect to see our standards slip.
“I expect us to keep pushing on and produce even more as the season starts to hot up.
“If we don’t then we’ll definitely be looking at changing things around.
“After this game, we’ve got a weekend off before we head to Hindley, and it looks like we should have six or seven players back after injury.
“That means we should have scope to make changes if we wish. How many changes we make obviously depends a lot on how we play tomorrow.”
Knight is, however, forced to shuffle his side this weekend due to injury.
Corey Noel is definitely out with a shoulder injury, while late fitness checks will be taken on Lee St Hilaire (hamstring) and Sam Rochford (bicep).
Rangers have also suffered a double major blow on the half-back front, with first-choice scrum half James Usher facing a further month on the sidelines after tearing a hamstring in training on the eve of his return and senior stand-off Neil Barrett having accepted a new job that involves weekend work.
“That’s the reason why it’s Mick and me at half-back again,” added Knight.
“I suppose we’ve got a fair amount of experience and are able to keep things tight defensively, because we are primarily back-row forwards rather than backs.
“But it’s still a bitter blow to lose James and Neil. We hope we’ll get James back in a month, but it looks like Neil’s played his last game.
“Hopefully, when James returns he’ll be battling to get back into a side that’s maintaining our winning run.
“With the players we’re hoping to get back over the next few weeks we are confident that can be the case.”
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