Spalding RFC skipper Cooke admits his side will need away wins to stay up

Bullish captain Sam Cooke has told his Spalding RFC side to end their away drought at Market Bosworth on Saturday (2.15pm).

Town have yet to register an away win in Midlands Two East (North) this season, a run that has been a major factor in seeing them spend the entire season in the relegation zone.

However, Saturday’s dramatic 9-8 win over Mansfield (see page 38) means the mighty Elephants have now won three home games on the spin in the league.

They remain in the dreaded bottom two despite their hot streak, but Cooke feels his side are now well-equipped to win at second-placed Market Bosworth this weekend.

“If I’m honest, it was a dirty little win from us on Saturday,” said the skipper. “We knew what Mansfield would be about – and the lads stepped up and matched them physically.

“Everyone at the club is now in very high spirits after that win. But the fact remains that we’re still in the relegation zone.

“Straight after the game I told the lads that it’s time we took our winning show on the road – starting on Saturday.

“We’d maybe stay up if we won every home game between now and the end of the season, but I think we’ll need away wins too.”

Beating hosts Bosworth on Saturday would be no mean feat. Currently second in the table, they’ve also won three games on the trot.

But the high-fliers did lose 10-0 at Mansfield on December 12 and only beat Town 20-15 back in October due to a last-gasp try.

Cooke feels the time is right for Spalding to grab the win, although he does feel Town will be fighting relegation all the way to the final day of the season.

He added: “Everything feels right for this weekend.

“The confidence within the group is high and we know what Market Bosworth are all about and I’m sure we’ve got enough in our locker to get a win.

“There’s only really one side (Bakewell) that are losing every week in this league, so we’ll need to pick up some points to stay in touch with the sides above.

“Whatever happens, I do think it’ll go to the last day of the season. It’s so close from fifth to 11th.”

Town are likely to be without fly-half James West on Saturday, but should be able to hand Josh Broome a recall.