Kilshaw set for Hornets’ crucial week

ROCHDALE Hornets head coach Alan Kilshaw has described this next week as being one of the biggest in the club’s history.

Hornets host Dewsbury Rams in their final home game tomorrow, before they then head to Sheffield Eagles next weekend.

Kilshaw’s men are currently bottom of the Championship table, two points behind second bottom Swinton Lions with two games to play, and the Rochdale boss is well aware just how important Sunday’s match at the Crown Oil Arena is.

“It’s a big week, and one of the biggest in the club’s history. We’ve got to get a victory to give ourselves a chance going into the final round,” he said.

“We’ll be treating this as a final, so we’ve got to be more desperate than them to get the win to make sure we take it into the last game.

“We’ve got to rely on ourselves to get a win and then hopefully results go our way if Featherstone beat Swinton.

“With that said, we’ve still got to totally focus on us.

“We need a good week’s preparation, and with some players and staff moving on at the end of the season, it would be good to send them off with a victory.”

Hornets head into the game knowing that some of their players are out of contract at the end of the season, and Kilshaw says as individuals they have everything to play for.

“Players are out of contract so regardless of whether they stay at Rochdale or go elsewhere, it’s that time of year where they’re playing for their futures and livelihoods,” he said.

“There are many factors motivating the players at the moment, but first and foremost we want a win, and everyone is stepping up.

“Both of the tries we scored in our last game were outstanding, but we’ve let in a few scrappy ones which is disappointing.”

Rochdale’s last game saw them suffer a 24-16 defeat at home to Leigh Centurions, and Kilshaw was disappointed with the referee’s performance in that game.

“In the first half he had total control of the game and was giving penalties that were right for both sides, but in the second half the whistle went away a bit and it turned into chaos,” he said.

“We have two important games coming up and hopefully we can get experienced officials for both games that will referee consistently.”