Jones: We want to make Silver Royd a fortress

Jones and his side have flown out of the traps under new coach Simon Smith and are second in the table after registering seven wins from eight games.

Second meets third when Scarborough host Heath this weekend, and Jones is looking forward to the challenge.

“If we do want to challenge for the top spots in Yorkshire One, we need to make Silver Royd a fortress,” said Jones.

“We have a 100% record there so far and we’re keen to keep that run going, although Heath are a very strong side.

“Beating them would really put some daylight between ourselves and the teams just below us, plus leaders York have a few tough games coming up, so it’s a massive game.”

Kiwi Jones, now in his second spell with the club, is adamant that the players aren’t getting carried away and looking too far ahead.

“The season ends in May, not November, so we will remain focussed and try to stay in the mix,” added Jones.

“We worked hard in pre-season to improve the fitness of the players, but also to try and bring the squads closer together in a bid to hit the ground running, and that’s working for us right now.”

It looked like Scarborough’s superb run was coming to an end at Old Rishworthians on Saturday, but an injury-time try from Billy Parker sealed a dramatic 34-32 win and sparked wild celebrations.

Jones added: “It was great to be on the right end of a late winner, they have tended to go against us in the past.

“The composure and persistence the guys showed was great, and you could also see our fitness work in pre-season as none of the guys were blowing, even late into the game.

“There would’ve been a few sore heads Sunday morning, but we’ll work hard this week to prepare for Heath.”