RELAXED skipper James Shewell is confident Droitwich will not get too carried away with themselves after beating Midlands Two West (South) title rivals Malvern.
The Salt Boys recorded a 24-18 victory over the visitors last Saturday to make it nine wins out of nine an extend their lead at the top of the table to six points.
But with a trip to second-from-bottom Nuneaton Old Edwardians tomorrow (Saturday), Shewell stressed Droitwich cannot afford to let all their hard work become undone.
And with a three-week break after this weekend’s round of fixtures, the skipper told the Standard he does not want to mull over a defeat for that length of time.
“We have worked so hard to build a bit of breathing space between ourselves and Malvern but that can quickly change,” said Shewell.
“If complacency kicks in, then we could find ourselves in trouble at Nuneaton.
However, the attitude of the players over the past 18 months has been tremendous so I am confident that complacency will not creep in.
“Nuneaton will be a tough side and they are expecting a big home crowd which will give them an extra five per cent.
“We just want to get to Christmas having beaten every single team in this league.”
With last week’s victory opening up a six-point gap at the top, Shewell believes it will give Droitwich the psychological edge going into the second half of the season.
“It was an important win for us,” he added.
“Malvern were confident they could come to us and win but we showed we are more than just a flash in the pan.”
The much-anticipated top-of-the-table clash lived up to all the hype with the lead swapping hands several times.
After being 7-5 down at the break, the Salt Boys had to battle back twice before snatching victory with a try in the final five minutes of the game.
Rob Cook (2), Rob Poke and Shewell crossed the whitewash for the hosts while Bobby Scott-Walker kicked two conversions.
“It was a very tight affair but it could have gone either way,” said Shewell.
“In the end our aggression and character paid dividends and that was the most pleasing thing from it all.
“We showed fantastic resilience and belief to come from behind and I am always confident we can score as long as there is time on the clock.
“It was great to get the win but it is important now that we don’t become arrogant.”
