LUDLOW go into their most important game of the season this weekend on the back of a vital win.

Norman Stalker's men came away from their clash with Shrewsbury with a 26-11 victory to keep alive their hopes of surviving in Midlands 2 (West) North for another season.

Their safety will be guaranteed with victory at second-bottom Stafford this Saturday in what is their penultimate game of the season.

"It's for us to lose now," said club spokesman Phil Norton.

"It's in our hands. If we win then that is that, we'll be safe.

"We would like to get it done and dusted at the Stafford game and not let it go down to the Stourbridge Lions game on the final day."

Saturday's win over Shrewsbury was Ludlow's third win in their last four games and gives the south Shropshire side a great deal of confidence ahead of the trip to Staffordshire.

Mike Jones set Ludlow on their way with a try under the posts early on with Will Sparrow converting.

Sparrow then kicked a penalty to make it 10-0 before the visitors replied with a penalty of their own.

Ludlow then scored the try of the game when Mark Williams broke out of his own 22 before feeding Sam Thomas who scored in the corner. Sparrow missed the tricky conversion.

Shrewsbury then scored a penalty before Sparrow was on the mark again with a penalty to make it 18-6 at half time.

The visitors put Ludlow under a lot of pressure in the second period before Mark Williams scored the most unusual try of the game as he crossed the line backwards before Shrewsbury replied with a late try of their own.

Sparrow completed the scoring with another penalty helping Ludlow to victory ahead of the game against Stafford, who are the only team who can relegate Ludlow.

Norton says the side has a good base from which to build, should it survive.

"We've got some good young players here who are improving all the time," he said.

"Survival would be great, particularly when you consider where we were at the season when we were building a new team."