DROP goal hero Ryan Mills reckons a cup run will help keep “everyone sharp” for the latter stages of Worcester Warriors’ Gallagher Premiership campaign.

Warriors booked their place in the European Challenge Cup quarter-finals for the first time in a decade with a dramatic last-gasp 20-18 victory over Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday.

The last-eight tie will be held on the final weekend of March sandwiched between league trips to Bristol Bears and Wasps.

Mills insisted the Premiership remained Warriors’ “main focus” as they sit one position and four points above the drop zone.

But the stand-in captain felt the extra incentive of progressing in Europe was a “huge positive” for Worcester’s season.

“This will give boys who aren’t getting a lot of game time in the Premiership a good chance to get rugby which is key for the club to be successful,” Mills said.

“Keeping everyone sharp and having that rugby towards the back-end of the season is going to be key for us.

“Inevitably we are going to get injuries so (a cup run) will just help us massively with people able to step in and be match fit.

“I think that’s a huge positive.

“The boys who have played in this competition so far have done really well and are sticking their hands up for selection.

“At the end of the day everyone likes to win and it is something for us to aim for.

“We have all got our eyes on progressing so let’s see what can happen.”

Worcester clinched top stop in Pool Two after doing the double over second-placed Ospreys who are five points behind the leaders with one game left.

But Mills now wants to ensure Warriors are one of the four group winners to bag a home quarter-final as he looks to guide his side to victory over Stade Francais at Sixways on Saturday (1pm).

“Obviously we are trying to win every game but if we could get a quarter-final back at Sixways that would be lovely,” said the 26-year-old.

“It would be a great advantage for us. We know the home crowd is brilliant and it would give the fans something to look forward to.”

On Worcester’s ambitions in the competition, Mills added: “We are taking it a game at a time.

“The next step will be to put in a performance this week and get the win that will guarantee that home quarter-final which would put us in a good position to go on further in the competition.”

Mills was also delighted to back up last week’s added-time triumph over Bath with another memorable late win.

“It is a massive positive,” said Mills whose match-winning drop goal went over with eight seconds remaining.

“We spoke after the game about winning these tight games. If we find ourselves in these one or two-point games we need to get used to winning them rather than losing them and then it becomes habitual.

“Obviously we knew we needed a penalty or three points at the end so everyone knew what they had to do.

“I got into position and waited for an opportunity.

“I thought I hit (the drop goal) really well and then (an Ospreys player) got a hand to it which pushed it outside the post and then somehow it came back in.

“It was quite lucky. They all count and we got the points so happy days.”