Rochdale Hornets vs North Wales Crusaders (Match Preview)

Rochdale Hornets v North Wales Crusaders (Sunday, 3.00pm, Spotlands)

A big match is set for Spotlands on Sunday with neither Rochdale Hornets or North Wales Crusaders having ruled out a top four finish.

The Crusaders go into the game full of confidence after beating Gateshead home and away in the last fortnight and with a run of three games against fellow mid-table opposition, they will hope to add another nine points to their tally before taking on top sides Doncaster and Whitehaven in their last two games.

Rochdale are in fifth place and will hope to pinch fourth from Whitehaven so they also know a win is essential.

Hornets trio Phil Braddish, Johnny Leather and Joe Fitzpatrick all face fitness test after missing last week’s training but coach John Stankevitch is “confident all three will be OK” to face North Wales Crusaders on Sunday.

Stankevitch said: “I know where we are in the table. If we want to get promoted this year, we’ve got to win every single game we’ve got left.

“We can’t afford to think we can play well in certain games, and take our foot off the gas in others; it doesn’t work like that.”

Crusaders search for a third successive win with a fully fit squad, and are now just a point off the play-off places.

Coach Clive Griffiths said: “The league table is always in the back of your mind. If Oldham hadn’t got that late drop goal on the weekend, then we would have been sixth.

“It’s a target for us, but the next three games (against Rochdale, South Wales and London) are going to be vital. If we’ve any hopes of getting in the play-offs, we’ve to get a couple of wins in these games.”

However, Griffiths insists Crusaders are not taking anything for granted. He said: “We look at everybody with the same respect and our feet are firmly on the ground. This game can bite you on the backside at any point. We’ve just got to keep working hard.”

North Wales Crusaders have no injuries to report from last week’s 60-10 record win at Gateshead so Griffiths knows that it will be a welcome battle for places for his side.

“Jamie Durbin was out with a groin injury and Billy Sheen came in and scored a hat-trick,” he said. “Danny Hulme twisted his ankle in training last week, the day before the Gateshead game. Hopefully they’ll be fit for this week. So it’ll be a tough call for selection as we have a lot of players who are in good form.”