TAUNTON Titans have been urged to build on their recent upturn in fortunes as they welcome Westcountry rivals Redruth to Hyde Park on Saturday (3pm).

The Titans have recovered from an autumn blip to record three victories on the bounce, the most recent of which was a convincing 60-14 win over Guernsey last Saturday.

Looking ahead to the challenge that awaits them, forwards coach Chris Brown said: “We were very pleased with how we played on Saturday but this weekend will be a different kettle of fish.

“We have worked very hard over the past month and we were fairly confident that our dip was only going to be a temporary one.

“There are always ups and downs in sport but what’s important is trusting the group you are working with and we are seeing the rewards of that now.

“The Guernsey game showed real evidence of what we have been working on and to score 60 points in those conditions was very impressive.

“Having watched Redruth’s last two or three matches, it’s clear they are tough to break down - as they always are - and I think they are a better side than their league position suggests.

“Our games against them are usually tight and I am expecting similar on Saturday.”

The Cornish side are seventh going into the weekend, with Taunton in fourth, and the Titans also have revenge on their minds having been narrowly beaten 29-27 by Redruth earlier in the season.

“We were disappointed with the result down there,” Brown said.

“We felt we had the majority of possession and territory but they were dogged made their scoring opportunities count, something they are traditionally very good at.

“It is always tough to play down there but this time round it’s at our place and we know we are a tough proposition at home, so it’s up to us to show why that is.

“The league is a dogfight this year and there is still a long way to go.

“It will be all about consistency. If we can string a few wins together going into the new year we will be there or thereabouts.”

Head coach Tony Yapp added: "On one hand, things look positive - we are still within touching distance of second.

"We have lost more games than we would have liked to but, apart from the defeat at Tonbridge, we feel as though we could have won every game.

"We had key players missing during our blip and the red card against Rams did for us. On the whole there are plenty of reasons to be positive going into the new year."

The Titans do not have any injury concerns ahead of Saturday's game, though Julian Salvi is unavailable due to his Exeter Chiefs commitments, and Brown is eager to end the calendar year on a high in front of what is likely to be a bumper crowd.

“Christmas fixtures are a special time of year and the squad are in good spirits,” he said.

“We are all itching to get out there and again put into practice what we have been working on.”