CORNISH Pirates joint head coach Alan Paver has labelled the coming weeks as “crunch time” in his side’s bid to break into the Championship play-off places.

The Pirates make the long trip to the Wirral tomorrow (2pm) to face Caldy knowing that their season could hinge on this next block of fixtures.

“This patch of games, we need to come away with some big wins,” said Paver. “If we don’t, we’ve only ourselves to blame and we won’t see ourselves in the play-off bunch come the end of the season. We’ve got to be confident, go up there, put our best foot forward and get stuck in from the off. If not, this league will drift away from us.”

The Pirates travel north on the back of an emphatic 43-12 home victory over London Scottish last Sunday – a result that provided the perfect response to the disappointment of defeat at Doncaster Knights the previous week.

“We really needed that win,” Paver admitted. “The guys gave us an emotional response after the Doncaster result, but for me we just need to double this up. It’s easy for me to say, but we really do.”

While pleased with the set-piece platform, Paver is of the view his side deserve greater reward for their forward dominance. “Our scrum and our maul look powerful, but we’re not necessarily getting the full rewards. The officials referee what’s right in front of them and we respect their decisions, but we are looking for some of those crucial calls at crucial times.”

Caldy, currently level on 43 league points with the Pirates in what is an eighth-versus-ninth clash in Round 17, are expected to provide a stern test.

“We match up well with Caldy,” added Paver. “They’re a settled group, gritty, who like to play, so a lot of respect to them. We have underperformed for various reasons, but we go up there on the back of a win. Conditions and the pitch can play their part, but it will come down to crucial moments. I think it’s an even match.”

In terms of selection, Harry Yates comes into the starting XV to partner Chester Ribbons in midfield, adding physicality, while winger Matty Ward is named among the replacements as the Pirates look to build momentum at a pivotal stage of the campaign.

CORNISH PIRATES: Angus Mawson; Arthur Relton, Chester Ribbons, Harry Yates, Ben Cambriani; Louie Sinclair, Dan Hiscocks; Alessandro Heaney, Sol Moody, Alfie Petch; Milo Hallam, Josh King; Alex Everett (capt), Luke Ratcliff, Tomi Agbongbon. Replacements: Matt Pritchard, James French, Ben Woodmansey, Matt Cannon, Rory Suttor, Will Rigelsford, Arwel Robson, Matty Ward.