UNnderbank coach Richard Knight is looking for his side to hit top form at home to Oldham St Annes tomorrow to guarantee a National Conference League Second Division play-off spot.
Although Rangers suffered a dip in form during June and July, a win this weekend would book Bank a place in the big end-of-season shake-up with a game to spare.
The fact the final fixture of the regular season is a demanding assignment at promotion-chasing Leigh East makes it even more important for Rangers to secure a play-off spot at the first time of asking.
And after the late postponement of last week’s home clash against Castleford Panthers, who have been forced to withdraw from the competition due to a lack of senior players. Knight is hoping his players are refreshed for the challenge ahead.
“We were looking forward to playing last week, because we’d just started to get some momentum back,” said Knight, who will again partner Joel Croker at half-back.
“After a poor run, we played well against leaders Millom and then had a very good win at Askam, so we were looking to build on this against Cas Panthers.
“On the flip side, the break did help some of the boys get over some injury niggles and help freshen up[ the squad mentally.
“We obviously won’t know for sure whether the break was a help or a hindrance until we step out onto the field tomorrow, but the fact we can book our place in the play-offs with a win should make as big difference.
“There’s a lot at stake, so I expect everyone to be at their best.”
Underbank are boosted by the return of back-row forward Luke Nelmes, while the inclusion of Jonny Tinker on the wing will allow former Giants favourite Paul Reilly to make the move into the centres.
That will then allow makeshift centre Mick Murphy to move back into his more established back-row role.
“We’ve got a good balance to the squad, which we obviously hope will work to our advantage,” added Knight.
“So there are no excuses for failure with this game.”
