North Wales Crusaders head coach Carl Forster said his side must now adapt to the pressures which come with being top of the league as they look to remain there with a trip to face Swinton this weekend.
A complete team performance saw Forster’s North Wales side climb to the summit of Betfred League One with a 42-12 victory over Whitehaven last weekend, a position which they’ll be looking to hold as they look to extend their 100% start to the league campaign when they travel to face Swinton Lions this Sunday.
Speaking to the media ahead of the game, Forster said: “First of all, I was really pleased with the result and the performance last week, I thought that’s the best we’ve played so far this season.
“That being said, I do think we’ve still got another gear to find, there was probably moments against Whitehaven where we could have been a little bit more clinical, but it’s exciting for me as a coach to sit here with five wins from our opening five games and know that there’s still more to come from us.”
Looking ahead to Sunday’s visit to Heywood Road, Forster said: “It’s another tough game coming up this week.
“Swinton are a young, hungry side and they’ll see this as an opportunity to put a marker down themselves.
“They’ve had a complete re-build this year after being relegated last season, and they’ve taken a different path in how they’ve recruited, but a lot of the lads in their squad have come out of Super League academy systems so come with good pedigree and a point to prove, and that’s a dangerous combination.”
With a week off to follow the fixture before Crusaders return home against Newcastle Thunder on Sunday 18th May, Forster says the aim has to be cementing their position at the top of the table: “We’re in a completely different position to the last few seasons.
“Up to now we’ve gone into games as the underdog, and if I’m honest we’ve probably thrived under that in seasons gone by, but that’s not the case anymore.
“We know that we go to Swinton on Sunday top of the league and that naturally puts an extra target on your back, so it’s about us now and our mentality in how we deal with that different pressure.
“The lads are all grounded, we won’t get carried away with where we are after five games, there’s a long season ahead of us, so we take it week by week and ficus on what’s in front of us.
“I think we’ve seen what can happen if we turn up to a game in the wrong mindset when we lost to Goole in the cup earlier this year.
“That one hurt us, and it will probably act as a good warning to the group of the danger in getting complacent.”
Sunday’s game shall also provide an opportunity for several North Wales Crusaders players to return to familiar surroundings having made the switch from the Lions in the off-season, and Forster believes it will add something extra to the clash: “We’ve got a few players who were at Swinton last season, haven’t we.
“We’ve also added Ant Walker and Jordan Case in recent weeks, both of whom have come from there, so I dare say there will be a bit of an extra edge to the game in that respect.
“Swinton will know a bit more about us than most and likewise we’ve got players who will know a bit more on them.
“All in all though, I think it’s more of a storyline more than anything else.
“We’re both teams who are professional, will have studied the opposition well and will want to come away from Sunday with two points.”