JAMES Doherty didn't know whether to laugh or cry after their 20-17 defeat at National League Two North leaders Hinckley on Saturday.

The bottom-of-the-table visitors trailed 15-0 at half-time only to forge ahead 17-15 inside the last ten minutes, but then lose it to a try.

After a match in which Doherty felt that the referee should have been harsher on the Midlanders in terms of yellow cards and penalty tries, he said that his main feeling was pride.

"My emotions are completely mixed but the overriding one is pride," said Doherty.

"We were absolutely outstanding and we deserved to win.

"I said to the lads afterwards that some sides would have crumbled in the second half having trailed 15-0, but being critical we probably should have made more of that opening 30 minutes when we were in control.

"We conceded two tries, which were both down to individual errors, with the first coming when we missed a line-out, but they are a hard team to beat and are well organised."

Doherty added: "Other than that, we were phenomenal throughout, but I cannot understand why the referee didn't hand out more yellow cards and award more penalty tries than he did in the second half when we were winning penalty after penalty.

"Referees seem only too keen to whip out a yellow card when we are going backwards."

Wharfedale did profit from one penalty try in the second half, but Doherty was baffled as to why a Phil Woodhead try was disallowed when Hinckley stood off,and he reckoned that they could easily have been awarded another five (or seven) pointer.

After such a display, when the forwards were superb as a unit and the backs made plenty of line breaks, Doherty was loathe to pick out any individuals, preferring to praise the whole squad, calling the display "relentless and ruthless".

He added: "Maybe the backs had been suffering from a bit of a lack of confidence before, but we played with freedom here."

Having so sorely tested the leaders, Wharfedale's next task is to try and beat third-placed Tynedale at The Avenue on Saturday.

Doherty said: "Like Hinckley, they are there for a reason," but if the Greens can play like they have for the past fortnight, there is no reason why the visitors cannot be beaten.