Wakefield Trinity v Warrington Wolves: Mark Applegarth calls for joint effort in Belle Vue bid

Five of Wakefield's remaining eight games are at Belle Vue, starting with Sunday’s date with Warrington Wolves.

Trinity have won their last three matches on home soil, including a thrilling victory over Wigan Warriors in their previous outing.

By contrast, Applegarth's men have yet to taste success on the road this season, suffering their latest defeat last time out against Huddersfield Giants.

Applegarth is desperate to put that performance right this weekend.

"It's been a tough year for everyone, especially the fans," he said.

"When I'm out and about, whether that's in the supermarket, on a dog walk or with my daughter, I speak to a lot of them and can't thank the majority enough for how they've stuck with the team and myself.

"They've got a massive part to play over these next five home games. There's no better feeling than when you're at Belle Vue and you've got that crowd with you.

"We'll be doing our best to make them proud. I feel like we owe our fans one after the Huddersfield game. We didn't show up how we wanted to so will be doing everything we can to not only put in a performance for ourselves but the fans watching in the stands as well."

While Trinity have improved in recent times to boost their survival chances, Warrington's alarming dip in form leaves them in danger of dropping out of the top six.

The early pacesetters have lost their last five games but Applegarth is paying little attention to their struggles.

"It's the same as I've said all year – we're just focusing on ourselves," he added.

"They're a quality side. I know they've had a bit of a sticky patch after going eight rounds unbeaten at the start but they've got quality throughout the ranks and some bodies coming back.

"We're looking no further than ourselves, where we feel we're strong and where we feel we can cause them some stress, just as they'll be doing to us.

"The main thing for us is learning our lessons from the last game. We were poor with ball in hand. Huddersfield were outstanding but we left a bit to be desired compared to the two weeks before that.

"We've just been focusing on our standards and making sure we play how we want to play to get the result we need. They're fighting for the play-offs and we're fighting for our lives and survival so there's a hell of a lot to play for."