Leeds Tykes fully aware of the hard work that lies ahead in bid to secure promotion
LEEDS TYKES may have taken a big step towards clinching promotion to National One at the weekend – but with seven games remaining, nobody at the club is taking anything for granted.
The Tykes beat Sheffield RUFC 24-18 at The Sycamores to move four points clear of their Yorkshire rivals at the top of National Two North.
“We were ecstatic,” said Jake Brady, the Tykes’ general manager and second-row forward. “We knew there was a lot riding on the game. We weren’t going to win the league today, but we could have lost it.”
The win over Sheffield stretched the Tykes’ unbeaten run to 10 games going all the way back to November when they fell to their only defeat of the season.
That loss was to third-placed Lymm, who are 13 points behind Leeds after losing to the Tykes’ local rivals Otley.
Leeds have seven fixtures left, including matches against strugglers Harrogate and Sheffield Tigers.
However, the squad isn't getting complacent.
“We’ve not lost at home in a long time but there’s still a long way to go, 35 league points still up for grabs this year, so it’s not done but we’ve thrown a decent punch in the league title (race),” said Brady.
“The league - just looking at the results - is so competitive, the teams down at the bottom are beating people and the relegation battle is crazy.
"There’s about five or six teams in the relegation battle so anybody that’s playing those teams know they’re not in for an easy game.”
Looking at the run-in and the four away games, Brady – whose side are next at Preston Grasshoppers – said: “We’ve only lost one on the road this season. Yes it’s obviously nice to play at home – but you’ve got to win your away games and we’re on for doing that.”