HEAD coach Mikey Jones believes Ludlow Rugby Club can target a second promotion in three seasons next term after an impressive debut campaign in Midlands Two West (North).

Ludlow secured a fifth-place finish last weekend with a superb 56-14 thrashing of a Spartans side that started the day in third position and had been promotion contenders all season.

Jones’ side won ten of their last 13 games to put a slow start to life at the new level behind them and the coach says they must aim even higher next time around.

He said: “I’m happy how the season has gone. We targeted top four to start with but after how the first six games, to finish fifth I’m very happy with that.

“We have to use this fifth position as something to build on for next year. We want to be competing in and around the top three.

“Looking at the sides who are already in the league and the sides who are coming down, we definitely feel we can compete for first, second and third.

“The boys really put a show on for the last game. Spartans are a very good side who will be up and around the top of the table next season and that’s where we have to set our targets too.”

Indeed, if not for their poor start – winning just two of their first nine games – Jones feels his squad was well enough equipped to have challenged for promotion in the season that has just ended.

He added: “I think we underestimated the step up in the league to begin with – for the first six games we struggled with fitness and also with how good the other sides in the league were.

“But we adjusted and we’ve shown how good we can be, losing only three games in the second half of the season.

“We lost a couple of games by a point – to Whitchurch and Crewe & Nantwich, who finished first and second.

“Turn those results around and while we wouldn’t have been challenging for number one position, because Whitchurch have been very, very good this season, we would have definitely been competing for second and third.”

Ludlow flew out of the blocks against Spartans, surging ahead with early tries for Will Sparrow and Will Hodnett, both set up by scrum-half Rhys Perkins.

Sparrow converted both and added a couple of penalties with a Spartans penalty try meaning the hosts led 20-7 at half-time.

After the break, Jack Lines charged down a Spartans clearance to increase the lead before Sparrow scored twice to complete a hat-trick, either side of a Joe Doyle try.

Late scores for Sam Thomas and Lines wrapped up the rout, with pleased coach Jones adding: “All of the players have already said they are going to be sticking around which is great.

“But to have any chance of competing in the top three, we need a couple of extra players so that’s my job in the summer.”