REDDITCH climbed out of the Powergen North Midlands One drop zone for the first time this season with a win over fellow strugglers Stourport at the weekend.

Stan Hull's troops swapped places with their Worcestershire rivals courtesy of a 22-5 home win, their first win of the season against anyone other than league whipping boys Five Ways Old Edwardians.

Tries from Neil Hodgkins, Mark Morris and Wil Wilson lifted spirits after a long hard season for the Kingfishers.

The all-important win takes Redditch to six points, level with Stourport, but the visitors dropped into the bottom two because of a poorer points difference.

Both sides have a negative points difference but Redditch have a 13 point advantage, secured by the margin of Saturday's win.

But Hull knows his side need at least one more win to keep Stourport at bay because the second from bottom side have a fixture left against Five Ways.

That is a banker for Stourport and with Redditch having cashed in their two wins against the North Midlands Two-bound bottom club, Hull wants a win against Bromyard, the club immediately above Redditch, who are the visitors on Saturday (ko 2.30pm).

Injury-blighted number eight Andy Douglas could be set to figure at the weekend, his first run out since the Five Ways game before Christmas.

The former skipper is awaiting a knee operation after a long-standing injury, but hopes to return for half a game.

Fellow number eight Andy Carr, the first Redditch player to appear in the first team in four different decades, is available and Mark Rose is also set to return.