LONDON BRONCOS coach Mike Eccles believes the progress made by homegrown players has been a tonic during a tough season.

The capital club might have their eyes on a place in Super League next year.

But in the wake of relegation from the top flight and amid a change of ownership which led to strict budget limitations, Eccles has been operating with a threadbare squad and on top of that, has had to deal with a string of injuries.

He pitched centre Ted Davidson back into action at Batley recently, having handed the 22-year-old, who had impressed him while playing for the London Development team, a debut from the bench in the 40-12 defeat at Halifax in April.

The Broncos won 30-16 at the Fox’s Biscuits Stadium before Saturday’s 34-24 home defeat against Bradford, when the club staged a drive to encourage stem-cell donor registration by supporters of both sides.

Against Batley, six tries were scored as a seventh league win was sealed, including one by Tommy Porter, the 21-year-old hooker who is back with the club after a spell at Swinton.

“That was a try made in London, and it was great to see,” noted Eccles, who has been with the Broncos in various capacities since 2012 and became coach in mid-2022, leading the way to promotion from the Championship the year after.

“Lewis Bienek carried the ball, Ted carried it, and Tommy scooted through to complete the move. All three are from our system.

“We have been doing it tough and the side has been changing from week to week with the injuries we have had, and Ted jumped in and was outstanding.

“We scored some really good tries, and despite the lack of consistency in team selection, we have been produced some good performances.”

The Broncos end their campaign on Sunday with a trip to Widnes, who are also among the clubs to have expressed an interest in joining the proposed expanded top flight in 2026.