Stankevitch confident ahead of promotion crunch

Rochdale coach John Stankevitch is confident his side have what it takes to beat Whitehaven in a key match in the Championship 1 promotion race.

With five games left, Hornets are three points behind Whitehaven, who currently sit in the final of the four promotion spots available.

They have drawn in their opponents in recent weeks, beating Oldham 30-4, Gateshead 32-0 and North Wales 34-6, while Whitehaven have only managed one win in their last three games.

Stankevitch said: “From a Hornets point of view, we’re really excited. We’re playing against a team that’s conceded heavily in the last three games. We’ve conceded 10 in last three games, and they’ve conceded 98.

“We’re not getting carried away. We know the ball is still in Whitehaven’s court. They’re in fourth; it’s up to us to take it off them.”

Rochdale still have to travel to Workington, as well as host league leaders Barrow and South Wales in their final four games.

Both Hornets and Whitehaven must travel to London Skolars, while the Cumbrians have home games against Doncaster, Gateshead and North Wales.

Whitehaven coach Don Gailer said: “Rochdale is a tough game. They’ll have their tails up after their win last week, and both Rochdale and Oldham are only three points behind us.

“We’ve got to keep looking over our shoulder while they look straight ahead. We’ve just got to go out there and perform, and that’s no different from any other week.”

Both Workington and Doncaster could confirm their promotion to the Championship next season this weekend.