Riders, who were hammered 95-63 by the Lions last week, are unable to progress in the Trophy and they are without a fixture the weekend after next.

Ford said: "We've got nine practices before the league resumes, and we're going to try to do some extra work.

"These games are like a mini pre-season and we want to win both games."

Riders lost both their games last weekend but Ford was encouraged by their display against Cheshire, the second of the two defeats.

We need to get some more mental toughness Leicester coach Martin Ford

Ford added: "We need to keep improving, and I thought that we were a little better on Saturday.

"I think we turned the corner mentally, even though we left it too late.

"We need to get some more mental toughness, in those situations some of our players try to do too much themselves rather than believe in the rest of the team.

"It's only human nature to want to win it yourself, but the players need to believe more in each other."