Mark Woodrow expects Bristol Rugby to compete fiercely with Exeter and London Welsh for promotion to the Guinness Premiership this season.

But the fly-half, who kicked 21 points against his hometown club for Birmingham & Solihull at the weekend, has warned Bristol they face plenty more afternoons like the one they had at Sharmans Cross Road.

Last season's relegated Premiership club were 40-36 winners against Woodrow's Bees – but laboured to victory against a side who last term played two divisions below them.

And former Bristol and Dings Crusaders player Woodrow says Paul Hull's men can expect face another 20 tough matches between now and the end of the regular season.

"When you come down a division, everyone wants to raise their game and everyone wants to beat you," said Woodrow.

"It was the same for us last season in National Two – we were the only full-time side and everyone wanted to turn us over.

"Bristol have come down and are looking to go back up, so everyone is treating them like a Premiership side and probably plays 20 per cent better against them. Bristol have got that to contend with, but I thought they did all right.

"It's too early to tell whether they'll go up, but I think they'll be right up there with London Welsh and Exeter. By the end of September you'll start to see it panning out, and time will tell."

Woodrow kicked eight of his nine attempts at goal to keep his side in the contest until the closing stages on Saturday.

But he wants the Bees to prove they can raise their game against every side in the Championship – and not just the promotion-chasing Premiership old boys.

"It's always nice to kick your points but that's my job, the same as a prop scrummaging," he said.

"I'm just enjoying my rugby at the moment, and hopefully if I can keep enjoying it, the points will keep coming. Hopefully we just didn't raise our game because it was Bristol. I'd like us to take it on next week and give London Welsh a run for their money.

"We're missing eight or nine players at the moment but as long as we can keep picking up points, hopefully we can reach the top eight.

"The boys went out and played with their heads, rather than their hearts. We didn't run around like a bunch of lunatics, we used our brains a little bit more."

Bristol, who have now won both of their opening two Championship matches, host Rotherham on Sunday.

Rotherham, another former Premiership club, were 29-16 winners against Plymouth at the weekend and sit sixth in the table after losing their opening match of the campaign.