LEICESTER now have top spot in the Championship fully in their own hands as they go into a huge weekend of action.
And club bosses are urging fans to give their backing to the Watling JCB Lions in Saturday’s crunch home match against Edinburgh (6.30pm) as they look to take a further step towards confirming the leadership.
Lions have two league matches to go, with the finale to their regular campaign against Berwick next Sunday (July 24), and Glasgow’s 51-39 defeat at Poole on Wednesday means two home wins for Leicester will make them uncatchable at the top.
And whilst that in itself is nowhere near enough to secure Championship honours, it does give the Lions a significant advantage when the play-offs start later in the season.
The top two sides progress straight to the semi-finals, but importantly the league leaders get the pick of quarter-final winners, enabling to plot their own route as they target a place in the Grand Final.
Team boss Stewart Dickson said: “We need the supporters in full force on Saturday, because if we win those last two league matches, we cannot be caught at the top of the league.
“Glasgow have been chasing us down, but with them not getting a point at Poole they can only get to 45 points with two four-point away wins, whereas we will finish on 46 with two home wins.
“It’s always been essential that we keep the back door closed at home, and we’ve done a great job with that so far this season.
“But we need to keep it going because Edinburgh have done well at Leicester in the past. We really want that top spot, and we need our supporters roaring us on for it.
“It’s a really good fixture with a good weather forecast as well, and we haven’t had a Lions home match for a few weeks, so it’s all set up for a big night.”
A reminder that Saturday’s meeting starts at the earlier time of 6.30pm and is followed by a National Development League clash between the Lion Cubs and Armadale.
