Doncaster RLFC: Howden targets home wins in top four bid

With several teams immediately below the club also winning the one bright spot for the Dons, who were without a game, was the crushing defeat for fourth-placed Keighley at leaders Toulouse which helped reduce their superior points difference to just 36.

“League One isn’t proving to be as easy as some people possibly expected it to be,” said stand-off Jordan Howden.

“Toulouse have come in with a full-time squad and teams such as London Skolars, who we play down there on Saturday, have got a lot better.

“London were down near the bottom last season but coach Jermaine Coleman has come in and really improved things and they beat us up here in the iPro Cup earlier in the season.

“So we know we’ve got a tough job on our hands, as we have in our last league game at Rochdale early next month.

“But all we are focusing on this week is London and we’ll not be taking them lightly after beating Barrow and Keighley in their last two home games.

“Realistically, we need to win all our last three games to in with a chance of finishing in the top four and while people might say that we shouldn’t have too many problems in our final home game against Hemel Stags you can’t afford to take any side lightly.

“It’s massively important that we finish in the top-four in order that we have four of our seven games in the play-offs at home.”