In-form London Scottish winger Miles Mantella has warned the exiles are not fourth in the table by accident, writes Andy Weston.
 

The former Harlequins player scored his eighth try of the season as Scottish secured a 36-10 bonus point win over Championship strugglers Ealing Trailfinders on Sunday.
 

Mantella is now the competition’s leading try scorer and hopes to add to his haul when Midlands side Moseley visit tomorrow.
 

“As the league table shows we are now climbing and it’s not a fluke we are in the top four,” he said
 

“We are nine games in and playing well.
 

“We need to carry on this form and see where it takes us.
 

“It wasn’t the best performance against Ealing, but the result was exactly what we were looking for.
 

“I got lucky on Sunday when the ball dropped right in front of me and I had a free run to the line. But I’ll take them any way possible.
 

“The team is going well and hopefully if we keep winning, I’ll keep scoring.”
 

Mantella, who made his loan move to the Athletic Ground permanent in the summer, was not overly concerned last month following back-to-back defeats against Rotherham and Cornish Pirates.
 

But he knows the key to staying in the top four is momentum and with three straight wins under their belts, Scottish have plenty.
 

Mantella added: “Teams have their ups and downs and it’s  a case of how quickly you come out of the downs and how long you stay on the highs.
 

“We had two defeats in a row, but that was against a good Rotherham side and Cornish Pirates away, which are never easy games.
 

“The guys responded well and a fourth victory in a row would give us a real boost ahead of the break for the British & Irish Cup.”