Fullerians coach Rich Hoskins has pointed to a loss against Grasshoppers earlier in the season as the turning point for what has become a London Three North West title challenge.

Saturday sees Fullers visit eighth-placed Hitchin (3pm kick-off) and with second-placed Welwyn five points behind them, Hoskins’ side know they are in pole position.

With only one defeat in 16 league matches it is a remarkable run of form which has seen Fullers climb to the summit and Hoskins – who only joined the club for the beginning of the season – believes a 27-18 loss to Grasshoppers in the third week of the season was the point at which their fortunes changed.

Fullers had begun the season with back-to-back wins over Hitchin and UCS Old Boys but the 33-year-old was not impressed by what he saw in Middlesex that afternoon.

He explained: “We went to Grasshoppers and the attitude was a bit slack and that was a wake-up call for everyone. We deserved to lose and I told them that was not acceptable – that was the turning point.”

From there, Fullers lost just two of their next 19 in all competitions to surge up the London Three North West table, belying all pre-season expectations.

“To be honest, we just wanted to do better than last year, so we wanted to come higher than eighth,” revealed Hoskins. “There was no pressure from the club, it was a case of see how it goes in the first couple of months and go from there.

“We have had some players join who were at the club before and have come back and they have all bought into what we do here straight away.”

The former London Irish and Bath tight-head prop added: “It has been a great season, I did not know what to expect so it has been taking it game by game. We were top at Christmas and we have taken it from there really.”

So with the culmination of a season’s work just 24 hours away, are there any nerves?

“I am definitely looking forward to it and my wife is keeping my feet on the ground,” laughed Hoskins. “It is a great place to at the end of the season; if we were mid-table then we would have nothing to play for.

“I have said to the boys as a player I have had promotion and relegation and I have explained what a great feeling it is to win promotion.”

Fullers last won promotion in 2009 when they reached London Two North West but they went up as runners-up. It has been 12 years since Fullerians have gone up as champions and club chairman Kevin Brind was full of praise for Hoskins.

He said: “I think he has been great for the club because he has bought into the club, and not in what we pay him, but because he has sponsored the club and really helped the players.

“It will be great for us [to go up as champions] because two or three members of this team have come from our minis and juniors section so that shows you the success of that since we started 20 years ago.

“We have got a good management team and good guys who help out. We have also got a group of guys who have clicked, get on well and go out there together.

“Rich has been lucky with some players who were already here but he has done a lot of things which have worked really well.”