DOM CORNWELL says Effingham & Leatherhead deserve to finish fourth this season but they'll have to beat teams above them to do just that.
The club's director of rugby says the team is playing with confidence at the moment in what had been "one of the toughest leagues" they've played in.
"We've got a tough fixture list ahead of us – we've got to play the top teams above us, all six of them," he said.
"We've got to play down at Portsmouth which will be a tough game and we've got Old Reigatians this weekend, which was a very good game the last time we played them.
"It's a difficult league to call and so many teams are on a similar level, you just don't know.
"In an ideal world, realistically, if we can get fourth position, I think that would be our best hope given that Chobham and Sutton & Epsom have pulled clear at the top.
"It's all about results at the end of the day but I think we deserve fourth position because we've been around for a number of years and this is the most secure in the league we've been for a number of years.
"It's probably one of the toughest leagues we've had to play in recently."
The Eagles comfortably beat Teddington 21-10 last weekend and Cornwell singled out two players in particular, although he was keen to stress that the performance as a team was a joy to watch.
"It was great to win four games on the trot and we're playing more as a team and a unit.
"There is also more consistency and there was only one or two changes, so it's all very positive.
"I suppose the opposition had a number of chances and didn't take them, but we took ours and it was a rounded performance.
"We stuck with a gameplan, we worked as a team and we took our opportunities so it's very pleasing.
"We finished with a try at the end to finish 11 points clear and that was well-finished by Richard Smith on the wing.
"The rest of the points were through Brian Collins, who scored a try and the kicks, so he's our little mastermind and he does very well."
