Sheffield Eagles: Mark Aston makes case for the defence in latest win

The Eagles reduced Batley to just two points in their recent 1895 Cup semi-final, whilst the Vikings bagged only two tries as Aston’s side won a notable psychological blow ahead of this month’s cup final at Wembley between the two sides.

The win keeps alive the slim hopes of a top five finish, and backs up the Eagles’ current reputation of being a hard team to break down.

Aston explained to The Star: “I wanted to back up the Batley performance and to do that like we did was pretty special. It is not unexpected because we have a good squad here who work hard. I thought defensively again we were outstanding. They scored only one try in the second half and that was from a kick, which bounced awkwardly. It was a good performance.”

Aston believes the final itself will be a totally different game, but he’s pleased to see his side gradually improve as he looks to go into the showdown with some winning momentum.

He added: “It will be different kettle of fish in a couple of weeks, there's no doubt about that, but I am really pleased with the attitude at the moment. I have to give the big fellas huge credit. The middles are really working hard and we are doing a lot of work on it training, and I can see that it is really starting to click.”