BRADFORD Salem have the chance to make it three wins on the bounce today - something they’ve struggled to achieve on a frequent basis in recent years.

They host Harrogate Phythons and they’ll be looking to build on impressive victories against Pocklington and most recently at local side, Bradford & Bingley.

New coach, Bob Hood is beginning to make an impression in the early stages of his Bradford Salem tenure and a win this weekend would further emphasise the strong start he’s made to life at the club.

Speaking to the T&A ahead of Saturday’s clash, he said: “It would be massive for us (to make it three wins on the bounce). Neil Klenk (chairman) keeps telling me that I’m the first coach to oversee a win against Beverley, the first coach to oversee a win against Bradford & Bingley and this weekend he’s told me that I’d be the first coach to beat Harrogate Pythons. For me the stats are meaningless. What I really want to achieve with the players is a continued improvement in performance. If we get the performance on Saturday, then I feel like the result would look after itself.”

Hood admitted that his side haven’t reached their full potential yet, but he conceded that it might not be too long before they do.

He said: “I think slowly but surely the players are buying into the project. Occasionally, we drop back into a comfort zone and from there we’ve been guilty of displaying disciplinary issues on the field. You’re never going to be at your absolute best when you have 13 or some weeks 12 players on the field. We’ve looked to rectify those issues in training, so that we can have a full team of 15 players on the pitch throughout games.

“I think the game against Pocklington was a great indicator of where we can get to as a team. That week we were a seven out of ten, so it would be nice to have an eight or nine out of ten performance this weekend and hopefully we can achieve that with 15 men on the field.”

Hood added: “It’s difficult to reflect on the start we’ve made overall. We are showing good progress, but it’s hard to judge the full situation when you don’t have your maximum number of players on the pitch. I’ll be able to give a true reflection on the opening period of the season in the next couple of weeks.”

Salem do take on Harrogate Pythons today and it’s a club that Hood knows well.

He said: “I know a lot about Harrogate; I saw them play last season and I know their coach, Dan Bird who has done a fantastic job over the last two years. He’s brought a great culture into the club and brought in players who are all willing to buy into it, so they’re a club in a good place.

“I watched them play against Yarnbury last season and they have a strong pack, they’re well organised and I’m expecting them to be worthy opponents. We’re expecting a tough test, for sure, but we’ll be eyeing that third consecutive victory.”