Preston Grasshoppers v Leeds Tykes: Rested Tykes are ready to ‘crack on’ in title bid

The Grasshoppers sit in ninth place in the National Two North table, but Tykes head coach Pete Lucock knows the threat that the opposition possesses and expects a tough match.

“Obviously we want to keep the momentum going after a good win against Sheffield,” he said.

“Probably the week off came at the right time, we put all our energy into that Sheffield game, and the lads came in on the Tuesday afterwards and we had a team bonding session, and then we gave them the Thursday and the weekend off.

“They came back in this Tuesday and everyone was refreshed, a couple of niggly injuries were sorted out, and we’re ready to crack on. It came at the right time and I think we used it well to keep everyone fresh.”

As to tomorrow’s game, Lucock knows his troops will have to be at their best.

“It’ll be tough, they’re really good at home, they move the ball into space really well, they’ve got a dangerous back three, they’re strong up front but we’re prepared well,” he said.

“Every team we’ve played has been the best version of that team so we’re prepared for the best Preston Grasshoppers team.

“We’ve got no new injury worries, we’ve a couple of long terms we’ve been without for a while, that will be coming back hopefully after this next block of four games.”

​After beating Sheffield, and with Lymm having had a tough February – losing their three games in the month – Tykes are in a strong position at the top of the table sitting four points clear of Sheffield.

However, they are aware any slip-up can be punished by their local rivals. Lucock knows all too well about the dangers of a run-in, having lost the league at the back end last season, and admits it’s crucial to stay focused on the task ahead.

He said: “There’s seven games left, and as we know, from last season that’s still a lot of rugby to be played so we’ve got to take each week as it comes. The pleasing thing for me though is that we’re getting better and better as the season is going on and we need to keep that going.

“It’s driven by the group, they’re really ambitious, and we only have to look at this time last year, where we came up short. They’ve got a lot of hunger and desire to put that right though and that only comes from winning games.

“We need to keep developing and keep getting better, and if we need a reminder, we just have to think back to the feelings we had last season.”

After last year’s near miss, Tykes are in pole position but even if they do win every game, try-scoring bonus points could come into the equation. So will they push for four-try performances?

Player/general manager Jake Brady added: “If we play like we can, attacking, and kicking to the corner instead of taking the points, we’ll pick them up, but we won’t gameplan for it.”