IT has been a much better week after we got a very well-deserved victory over a strong Halifax Panthers side last Saturday.

After two defeats on the trot not many people outside the club would have had us down to beat a side who are a very well-established Championship team and who have invested heavily prior to the start of this season.

What we did demonstrate, once again, is that the only team we need to be wary of is ourselves.

When we have some self-belief and stick to the systems put in place by Matt Diskin, we can mix it with most teams in this division and last week was a prime example of that.

In the main we defended well and did not panic when we went behind. Even going in 10-4 down at half-time we did not feel that we had to chase the game and that the gameplan would get the win.

In the second half, we totally dominated the game and although it was quite late on when the winning try was scored it was, nevertheless, very much just reward for the performance.

It is important for people to realise that we have a larger number of new players at the club this season than I can ever remember, so it will still take some time for things to gel.

No matter how many times we train, only matches produce that real test.

In addition, we have a number of players who are playing at this level for the first time in their careers, some playing first team rugby for the first time, never mind at Championship level.

People like Max Roberts, Ben Holcroft, Callum Green, James Barran and Joe Hartley who have all figured to different extents this season are all experiencing playing against men for the first time and all have adapted well and are proving their worth to the side.

That is no mean feat when you look at the quality of the players across all clubs in the division. Couple that with the experience we have brought in, particularly in the forwards, and we certainly feel that our recruitment bodes well for the season.

We have a real mix across the squad both in terms of playing experience and age and it is going well with everybody working hard.

This weekend we have another home game, this time against Whitehaven and we know exactly what they will bring. They will have earmarked this match as one they need to win and that is exactly why, in some ways, this weekend is an even tougher test than last week.

We know people will be expecting us to win after last week but we also 100 per cent know that we have to be on our game to get that win.

If we don't then all that effort last week will have been undone.

Our number of subscribers to the Our League stream of the Halifax game was encouraging – even compared to the London away game so I can only reiterate that your support to the club is still vital.

We are playing in very difficult times with no income from gate receipts, but all of the operating costs so please support the club as much as you can – it does make a difference.

Enjoy the game.