Rangers first team coach, Wes Rogers, says “doing the little things right” is what’s helped turn their season around. He took the reigns in July with the team stuck in the relegation zone after just two wins.

They’ve since won seven of the last ten games and secured their place in Division Two of the National Conference with their win over Barrow Island on Saturday. If they beat Myton Warriors at home this weekend in their last league game, a place in the play-offs is up for grabs.

Wes said; “I’ve just tried to put some stability back in the players. Sometimes a different voice can help and we’ve worked on simplifying things. Do the little things right and the big things take care of themselves. We’ve worked on discipline and fitness, cutting out the penalties and raising our standards. The biggest thing is the way the players have reacted – they’ve bought into it and done what we’ve requested. It’s the players who’ve done the work, I’ve just guided them.”

There’ve been some close encounters in recent weeks, not least the 34-28 midweek win over Shaw Cross Sharks and the 28-34 away win at Myton, when they had to come back from 24 nil down against their main rival for relegation.

“We were still on the bus in the first half,” Wes explained, “I always had faith in the players that we’ve got and in those situations you just have to find ways to win the games and we’ve done that.”

He’s been supported by a strong coaching team including Huddersfield Giants captain, Luke Yates, and Rangers stalwart, Michael Coates, who’s returned to the club to help out.

If the lads can secure another win against Myton on Saturday they’re likely to face West Bowling away in the first round of the play-off – an end to the season not even the optimists in the stand at Shaw Hall Bank road could have predicted earlier in the summer.