Old Grovians know that a bonus-point victory at home to Halifax Vandals on Saturday would mean that they are promoted from SSE Yorkshire Division Four.

It would be the highest standard of rugby the fledgling club has ever played, but the man who has  masterminded their climb to the summit of Yorkshire 4 refuses to get too excited.

Director of rugby Martin Whitcombe has tried to avoid all talk of the "P" word within the club, saying: "With three games to go a good result at home this weekend would secure promotion but its not something we talk about as a team."

Whitcombe wants the club's focus to remain squarely on the job at hand and has targeted maximum points from the three remaining games as their goal for the rest of the season.

It's that single-minded approach that has produced the best record in their division this season. Old Grovians have won 18 and lost just once in 19 league games, and Whitcombe sees no reason to change that attitude.

He added: "We will be approaching this game with Halifax Vandals in the same way we do any other team we play.

"Each week we work hard at practice, prepare as professionally as we can and try to win every game we play."

This belief may seem a little surprising when you consider that Old Grovians are on a ten-game winning streak, which includes impressive victories over their closest rivals Harrogate Pythons and Old Otliensians but closer scrutiny suggests there is good cause for Whitcombe's approach.

When they met earlier in the season, Vandals were leading late in the game before Ben Brown's drop goal finally secured an away win, and Whitcombe is all too well aware what dangers any hint of complacency hold,

He said: "When we played Vandals back in November, we were lucky to come away from the game with a win and we know we will have to be at our best to win this one.

"They are a proud club who played their rugby in Yorkshire Three last season - we will not be taking anything for granted."

There's no question that Old Grovians are firmly in the driving seat in the promotion race.

They hold a seven-point lead over second-placed Pythons, and Whitcombe has challenged his team to grasp the nettle - 80 minutes on Saturday will determine whether they are ready to take the next step.

Old Grovians (home to Halifax Vandals): Chris Blackhall, John Oakes, Dave Roberts, Ben Weaving, Matt Worrall, Charlie Cockshott, Ryan Brown, Tom Dalton, Brad Williams, Mark Lister, James Trenholme, Anthony Cadman, Andre Lesur, Joel Bradley, Adam Weaving, Joe Sowden, Ben Magee, Dom Copsey, Anthony Griffin, Ricky Hopkinson, Dean Hogg, Ben Brown, Liam Downes.