DEWSBURY boss Warren Jowitt says his side can’t afford to take their foot off the gas as the Championship season reaches its climax – but admits that his side are now probably safe from relegation.
Safety is in sight for the Rams after Sunday’s 36-16 win over Batley Bulldogs left them just four points short of guaranteeing their place in the Championship next season, with three games left.
Jowitt’s side, who travel to Leigh Centurions on Sunday (3pm), are seven points clear of Whitehaven and a further two ahead of Keighley Cougars, who have a game in hand.
“Mathematically we’re not safe yet, but Keighley and Whitehaven have a massive mountain to climb,”  the coach said.
“I’m pretty sure we’ll be okay, but it’s not 100 per cent. Rugby league is a strange game and we’ve still got a job to do. In the last month or so we’ve hit some decent form and we go to Leigh full of confidence.
“I think one more win will do it, but we have got three games left and we’ve got to prepare to win every one.”
The Rams came through the victory over Batley with no new injury worries and prompted praise from Jowitt after an excellent home performance.
“That was the best we’ve played all season – something just clicked into place and everything we’ve worked on all year just started working,” he said.
“I think if we stay up then despite however many games we’ve won we’ll consider it a successful season. With our limited resources and small budget it means we’ve done well to compete against sides like Widnes and Halifax who can spend £400,000. Those who know rugby league know that we’ve done very well on what we’ve got.”
Jowitt once again slammed the quality of the refereeing in the derby, calling into question French official Mohammed Drizza’s handling of the game at Tetley’s Stadium and his appointment to such an important match.
“He shouldn’t have been given the game – if the RFL want to test out new referees then they should do it in Championship One,” he said. “There’s no relegation from that league and games like Dewsbury v Batley are too important for new refs.”