DIRECTOR of rugby Dan Protherough has warned Bromsgrove they cannot afford to take second-from-bottom Longton lightly this weekend.
The Boars welcome the Staffordshire outfit to Finstall Park on Saturday looking to claim their fifth straight Midlands One West victory.
Despite Longton’s lowly league position, Protherough told the Standard it’s important the Boars stay focused on the task at hand.
“We learned last year that there are no givens in this league,” he said.
“There are no easy games and that’s the key message we are trying to get across.
“There’s a really good atmosphere around the club at the moment so it’s important we keep working hard.
“It’s important we set our stall out nice and early on Saturday and get the basics done right.”
Bromsgrove head into the clash after claiming a last-gasp 14-9 victory at Hereford last Saturday.
Hereford took a 3-0 lead into half-time and they extended their advantage early in the second period with another penalty.
The Boars responded in the 65th minute when Jamie Atkin drove over following some neat work by Andreas Antoniou.
Will Harris’ conversion put Protherough’s side 7-6 ahead.
Hereford regained the lead with a third penalty with five minutes to go but the drama was far from over.
After a sliced clearance from Hereford, Bromsgrove seized possession and after around 15 phases of play, Drew Harper bundled over the winning try.
“We did not adapt to the conditions quick enough on Saturday so we spent the majority of the first half penned back,” said Protherough.
“However, I thought we defended heroically to ensure we only went into the break 3-0 down, especially as we had two yellow cards too.
“Although Hereford scored early in the second period, we dominated the second period in terms of possession.
“The win was more pleasing than the 57-8 victory over Dudley Kingswinford the previous weekend because we showed sheer hunger, determination and resilience to get the win.”
