CRAIG Burrows admits Grove have to stop the rot immediately if they are to avoid relegation from the sixth tier.

The south Oxfordshire side have recorded only one victory in their last eight games and are seven points adrift of safety.

With six matches remaining, Grove are in need of an upturn in form if they are to extend their five-season stay in South West 1 East.

The Cane Lane-based side had looked to be working their way out of trouble at the turn of the year.

But a 45-3 defeat at fellow strugglers Marlow saw them drop back into the bottom three, with Swindon, who sit just above the relegation zone, now more than a bonus-point victory clear.

Burrows admits Grove have their backs against the wall and a trip to leaders Old Patesians on Saturday does not make the task any easier.

He said: “We’re massively ruing opportunities we had either side of Christmas – the narrow games where we didn’t manage to win.

“That’s shown with Marlow winning quite a few games and Swindon doing the same.

“All we can hope for at Old Patesians is to bring an expansive game and get a bonus point out of it.”

Burrows returned to the club in October, replacing Neil Hunter as head coach.

The former Chinnor and Oxford Harlequins second row was in charge the last time Grove needed a great escape in 2016 when they scored a last-minute try to beat Reading in the penultimate weekend of the season.

Burrows is fully aware something similar will be needed this year, but they must pick up points quickly to be in with a chance of setting up a potential relegation decider against Swindon on April 21.

He said: “It’s now about looking to be in a position come the last game where we would have to win – we would take that.

“I always thought it might come down to that day.

“But we’ve got three home games left and we have to win all of them.

“The pressure is on us and getting it to the last game may not be enough.

“We will keep fighting.”