JON Higgins feels Dudley Kingswinford must try to perform for the full 80 minutes.

DK fell to their third defeat on the spin in National Two North as they lost 37-17 at Leicester Lions.

Not for the first time this season, DK put in a strong first-half showing to be 17-17 at the break but fell away in the second period, a scenario joint-head coach Higgins has seen all too often.

He said: “Again it comes back to our away form.

“We did well in the first-half and for 25 or 30 minutes played some of our best rugby of the season.

“In the second-half we didn’t show up. We seem to be able to perform well for a half away from home but not the whole game and I can’t work out why that is.

“When you look at it, that’s what make the difference between the teams at the top and the rest. They can perform for the full 80 minutes whereas we play well in bursts but too often our concentration seems to slip at crucial moments.”

Higgins knows DK will need to be on top of their game this Saturday when they host third-placed Darlington Mowden Park.

DK were beaten 41-21 in County Durham back in September.

Higgins said: “When we played them at their place I thought they were certainly one of the better sides we have faced, I remember thinking they were pretty useful.

“It’s going to be a big ask for us, even though our home form is pretty good.

“We need to start strongly, build ourselves a platform in the game and hope they are some way off their best.”

DK have been boosted by the news the head injury sustained by Al Francis in Saturday’s defeat is not serious.

The prop left the field by ambulance after being knocked unconscious in the 25th minute and suffering a concussion, with the game having to switch pitches following a delay.

But after undergoing tests at hospital, Francis was given a clean bill of health though may not be fit for the weekend.