An ability to edge close games has been key to Nottingham Rugby's rise up the Championship, according to head coach Martin Haag.
After a battle at the wrong end of the table last season, the Green and Whites have turned things around.
Victory over Doncaster Knights saw them move into fourth spot before Christmas – their first time in the play-off places since June 2013 – though Rotherham Titans have since knocked them back to fifth.
Haag knows their position counts for little at the moment, but is pleased with the forward strides his team have made.
"It's only halfway through the season and there's a lot of rugby to be played yet," he said.
"We're not even halfway through the league.
"We've managed the squad well. We're pretty much full strength – just two or three players missing, and we know they are long-term anyway.
"We're in a good place. There's a lot of rugby to be going.
"What we need to do is keep improving.
"It is great to be in that situation.
"Last year, we lost nine games by less than seven points. That was one of the things we talked about for this year.
"What we've done this year is probably turn at least four of those around, which is why we're sitting in the position we're in.
"We were very competitive last year, but this year we've got a bit of a habit of winning those close games."
Their last outing, against Doncaster, was anything but; with Nottingham cruising to a 24-3 win.
And whilst it may still be too early for talk of a play-off push, Haag believes the next few games will be key to how their campaign pans out.
First up, is the club's last game at Meadow Lane, against London Scottish on Sunday, followed by a trip to Rotherham Titans and the visit of Plymouth Albion to Lady Bay.
By then, they will have played every team in the league at least once, giving them a better judgement of their potential.
"The next three or four games will be vital," said Haag.
"We've got London Scottish, which is our last game at Meadow Lane and I really hope the crowds come out and support us.
"It would be great to have a big crowd, playing against a team in third – a tremendous team in London Scottish.
"We then have Rotherham away – another rival of ours, who are in and around where we are at the moment.
"And then we have Plymouth at Lady Bay, which will be a great occasion.
"They are three big games for us and we'll know a little bit more about where we want to be and where we want to stay come the end of those.
"There's a lot of work goes on behind the scenes, not just on the field. That's one of the things we need to keep doing.
"We stop working, stop believing and start thinking we're better than we are, then we will come unstuck."
