WOOLSTON Rovers will bid to further boost their promotion push on Saturday having put themselves in a superb position.

Normanton Knights visit Monk Sports Club at the weekend to face a Rovers side buoyant having won four of their past five games.

It means they sit third in the National Conference League Division Two table, but head of rugby Mal Holt is wary of putting their progress at risk.

“We have had to contain with numerous changes in personnel but the way that the lads have knuckled down and got on with things has really impressed me,” he said.

“Normanton are just on the outside of the top six so we are aware that they will be really fired up to get into the play off places so we will need to be at our best to repel them.

“Hopefully we can start to get a few bodies back and get some regularity within the side but the lads who have stepped up from our NWML side have done a great job and shown what quality we have across our Open Age section.”

Rovers’ latest victory was a 38-24 success at East Leeds that featured a four-try salvo from hooker Adam Files.

Sam Vernon, Dec Leonard and Scott Whiteley also crossed the whitewash for the Green and Golds, with Leonard also adding five goals.

“We started slowly in each half and allowed East Leeds to score a couple of tries each time but once we started playing to our structure then we caused plenty of problems and scored some great tries,” coach Liam Lawton said.

“Our togetherness out on the field really shone through; even when we went behind twice the lads never lost confidence in each other and that is what got us a vital win.”

They will be aiming to join Crosfields in Division One after Soap all but secured their place in the NCL’s second tier for next year.

Saturday’s 34-22 victory over Skirlaugh at Hood Lane was a third victory in four games for Matt Wilson’s side – a run that has moved them clear of any relegation danger.

Luke Walker touched down twice for Soap, with Brad Stanway scoring a try and kicking five goals.

John Whittaker, Jack Fox and Dan Cassidy also touched down for Crosfields, whose next game is on Thursday night as they host neighbours Clock Face Miners.

Meanwhile, a lengthy period without a game may just have come at the wrong time for Latchford Albion, who must now wait until August 19 for their next fixture.

By the time they visit Ashton Bears, it will have been three weeks since their last fixture, which ended up being a dramatic, last-play victory.

Matty Ellis’ last-gasp drop goal allowed them to snatch a 29-28 victory over high-flying Orrell St James, who levelled the scores with a penalty mere seconds earlier.

Charlie McCurrie’s hat-trick and River Cole’s brace had put Albion in a winning position before the visitors’ fightback, but Ellis won the day.

“That game showed what spirit we have within this young side,” head coach Martyn Ellis said.

“There were a few occasions where the game could easily have gone away from us, but we stayed in the fight, and got the rewards.

“Orrell are a decent side who have consistently been at the top end of the league for the last three or four years, so to get the win shows how far we have progressed.

“We have had games this year where I felt we haven’t got the right outcome given our efforts, so this win certainly shows what we are capable of.”