WHARFEDALE head coach James Doherty wants last Saturday’s battling defeat at Stourbridge to be ‘the bare minimum in terms of performance’ going forward.

After their sub-standard display at home to Sheffield Tigers the previous week, Dale regained their pride despite a 19-8 reversal.

The National League Two North loss might not have brought the Greens any points but Doherty believes they set a standard to build on ahead of Saturday’s home game with Leicester Lions.

He said: “It does not matter what I feel so much but the players definitely feel that pride has been restored.

“Rob Baldwin spoke passionately about that in the changing room afterwards, but I chipped in and said that that is the bare minimum in terms of performance from now on.

“We could have got a losing bonus point, and no-one would have argued if we had, but they are not going to move you up the table.”

Wharfedale were 10-0 behind after eight minutes but Doherty said that was not down to a late kick-off caused by delays on the M6.

He said: “We arrived 55 minutes before kick-off and had to get changed, strapped up and warm up.

“The warm-up was slightly shortened but we have a good relationship with Stourbridge and they were very accommodating, with the kick-off being delayed by 20 minutes.

“The frustrating thing was that Stourbridge’s first ten points came exactly how we expected – carrying the ball up the middle and picking from the side of a ruck.

“We had prepared all week for that and it wasn’t as if they did anything dynamically new.

“But we had defended resolutely in general and it was game on at 16-8 down at half-time.

“Our second-half performance was good but we made a few attacking errors, such as getting a line-out wrong and turning over ball deep in their 22.

“However, Rob Baldwin gave an outstanding display and lifted the rest of the team.

“When he plays well we play well, and we were able to give 60 minutes to Joe Altham – mainly at loose head and later at tight-head after we suffered injuries to props.

“Matthew Close popped a rib and is not involved on Saturday, while James Huck and Ian Larkin both suffered blows to the head.

“But we will have Toms Asejevs back, as well as Tom and Robbie Davidson, who all played for Latvia in their 31-24 Rugby Europe Championship Conference One North victory against Luxembourg in Jelgeva.”

Robbie Davidson starts at full back against Lions in place of the unavailable Scott Jordan, while Asejevs comes into the front row in place of Close.

Tom Davidson is on the bench where he is joined by returning Jimmy Bullough. Andrew Hodgson also gets a start as Huw Morgan is unavailable.

Wharfedale: Robbie Davidson; Ralph Wellock, Harry Bullough, Andrew Hodgson, Josh Prell; Jamie Guy, Will Lawn; Joe Altham, Dan Stockdale, Toms Asejevs, Alistair Allen, George Hedgley, Rob Baldwin (c), Lewis Wilson, Josh Burridge. Replacements: Ian Larkin, James Huck, Elliott Ward, Tom Davidson, Jimmy Bullough.