HEREFORD Stampede feel they deserve a league place next season after completing their associate campaign on Sunday.

Their final match requirement saw the Stampede travel to Scunthorpe Alphas at the weekend.

Having dominated the Alphas in the home fixture in September, the Stampede were keen to prove that they could be just as dominant away from their home base.

They did just that and pulled off an emphatic 39-0 victory against their fellow associate side.

Scunthorpe brought plenty of energy to the early proceedings, but Hereford's defensive unit soon dampened their enthusiasm.

They were further muted once the Stampede offense began moving the ball downfield in earnest after stuttering early on.

Conditions were tricky, with almost constant drizzle making passing the ball difficult but some excellent running touchdowns from James Sirrell (2) and Pete Smith made the half-time score 19-0.

The second half began with a rare foray deep into Stampede territory by the Scunthorpe offense which threatened to put some points on the board.

Yet again the Hereford defense forced Scunthorpe back without troubling the scoreboard.

To add insult to injury, the Stampede moved the ball 80 yards down field with a succession of passes and runs, culminating in James Lawrence taking the ball into the end zone.

The very next possession produced an imperious run again from Lawrence taking the ball the length of the field for another score.

With the Alpha’s spirit truly broken, Will Nicholls added another touchdown making the final score 39-0.

Having now completed the requirement of games prescribed the British American Football Association, the Stampede now have to wait until December when they find out whether they will be playing in the National Leagues next year.

Head Coach Paul Kent said: “It was yet another tremendous team performance, these guys have a ruthless desire to win and never let their foot off the pedal.

“The club have put in a huge logistical effort, not only to pull this game off, making the 350 mile round trip and win convincingly, but for the whole season.

"The players and everybody involved deserve to be playing league football next season."