Improving Hunslet Hawks set to miss play-offs by a whisker

Hunslet are set to finish outside the play-offs places in the Kingstone Press League One Super-8s, whatever happens in tomorrow’s final game away to Rochdale Hornets (3pm).

But Bramald says his side are determined to end with a flourish and he believes they are heading in the right direction after a tough start to the year.

“We will prepare properly because we want to finish the season with a win,” insisted Bramald, who took over from Barry Eaton on the eve of the campaign.

“We want to finish sixth, which a win will do for us.

“If we can do that it will be a massive achievement when you look at the club’s budget, the upheaval we had before the season started and some of the things we’ve had to contend with, which I won’t go into.

“I think we have overachieved.

“The players are a fantastic bunch and it has been a big learning curve for me as well.”

Hunslet were within two minutes of ending Toulouse Olympique’s unbeaten record a week ago and Bramald feels that highlighted how far they have come since losing their opening three league matches.

“I said midway through the year we would improve and get better and we have,” he said.

“We are finishing the season strongly and that is really pleasing.

“Things could quite easily have gone very wrong for Hunslet this year, but the players have grown.

“They have been fantastic and I can’t praise them highly enough.”

Rochdale are third in the table and already guaranteed a place in the play-offs, but Bramald sees tomorrow as the chance to right an old wrong.

“We started the season at Spotland and we are finishing it there,” he said.

“We had a pretty tight game against them in February and we could quite easily have come out on top.

“We want to put that right and finish with a victory.”

Mufaro Mvududu is unavailable for tomorrow’s game and there are injury doubts over George Flanagan (knee) and Jimmy Watson (hamstring).