SKIPPER Rhys Pritchard hopes it will be third-time lucky on the road for Bolton RUFC at Wigton on Saturday.

The Cherry and Whites face Cumbrian opposition in the North Lancs/Cumbria Division for the fourth game in a row on Saturday having exorcised the demons of defeat at Carlisle with last Saturday’s emphatic 73-0 home triumph against lowly Silloth.

But Pritchard knows they have to transfer their impressive home form to their travels if they are to avoid an unwelcome hat-trick of losses on the road.

He told The Bolton News: “We have showed in the last two home games against Silloth and Workington what we can do.

“We won both by big scores and did not concede any points.

“But on the road we have had something of a mental block so far.

“Maybe it is the long distance we travel to games or something else – I don’t know.

“We lost at Aspatria and then Carlisle. On both occasions the response has been good and we have gone out and won convincingly in the next games at home.

“Maybe at the minute getting beat helps us focus.

“Of course, we don’t want that to happen every other week.

“So the attitude and belief is there, we just have to take it on our travels.

“Wigton is always a tough test – there are only ever a few points in it when we play them and they had a good result drawing with leaders Fleetwood last weekend.

“But our run has to end sooner or later and hopefully we can get that first away win.

“We are definitely going there in a positive frame of mind looking for that victory.”

The Avenue Street victory against Silloth saw Bolton run in 11 tries through Sam Fogg (three), Louis Critchlow (two), Jonny Stanfield (two) and one apiece for Danny Joseph, Niall Murphy, Pritchard himself and his brother Gaz.

Mike Mills also kicked nine conversions as the team put their Carlisle defeat behind them.

Pritchard said: “We knew we had to bounce back but avoid complacency against Silloth and we stuck to our game plan as if it was against any other side.

“We scored a good variety of tries and spread them around, which shows the strength in depth we have.

“Hopefully, it will be the same this weekend.”

The Cherry and Whites go into the game with the same squad available to coach Dave Crouch with the likes of Ash Cooper coming into the reckoning on the bench.

Pritchard is expecting to be playing a different role at scrum-half to his usual position as outside centre but is relishing the challenge.

He added: “It is going to be different for me but I am looking forward to my first time at scrum-half.

“We have a strong squad with Ash on the bench and the team spirit is great.

“It is early days yet and there are not many points between ourselves in seventh and Fleetwood at the top.

“A win this weekend can keep us up there in the mix and that’s the aim.”