Hunslet, who are at Workington Town on Sunday on the final day of the regular Betfred League 1 campaign, are second in the table and will remain in that position even if they lose – subject to Doncaster not overhauling a 60-point deficit in the points’ difference column by beating champions Dewsbury Rams by a significant margin.

Head coach Alan Kilshaw, however, is adamant that mathematics won’t come into the equation. He said: “We won’t leave anything to chance. Our aim is to make sure we finish second and not rely on a low score elsewhere, or on another team to get a result for us.

“This group have been outstanding since day one of pre-season. The players often get overlooked for personal accolades or any form of praise from external sources which, for me, is hard to understand. But it’s not something we dwell on as a group. We know what we have achieved up to now and if people want to continue to underestimate what Hunslet’s players have done, and what they’re capable of, we will simply continue to succeed and surprise. We will be going full tilt this weekend to ensure we go in the semi-finals on the back of one of our best performances.”

He concluded: “Harvey Hallas will miss the game to allow him extra time to recover from his ankle injury, but he will return to full training next week. Jack Render will be rested to get over a couple of niggles and his place in the squad is taken by Dan McGrath, and we will get a check on Johnny Campbell who has a slight hamstring strain. However, Aaron York, who missed last Sunday’s win over London Skolars through illness, and Mike Knowles, who was suspended, return.”

Hunslet (at Workington, Sunday 27 August 2023, 3.00pm): From Jimmy Watson, Adam Ryder, Joe Burton, Nathan Conroy, Sam Hallas, Steve Crossley, Josh Jordan-Roberts, Aaron York, Michael Knowles, Nathan Newbound, Jordan Syme, Lewis Wray, Spencer Darley, Alfie Goddard, Matty Beharrell, Johnny Campbell, Marcus Green, Myles Lawford, Oli Burton, Jordan Bull, Dan McGrath.