THE general emotions for Wharfedale supporters were relief and joy as they notched a 27-17 home victory over derby rivals Otley last Saturday to again move out of the relegation places in National League Two North.

"I am delighted," said Wharfedale's coach James Doherty. "We gave one of our most complete performances, we cut out the mistakes and the players' response was excellent.

"It gives us a lift before Christmas and I was really happy with the first half.

"We felt that we could move them around the park by playing three or four phases, and we were in control in the second half.

"Our half-backs Phil Woodhead and Jamie Guy were excellent, and Phil just shaded it for man of the match.

"He is just coming back from injury, although you wouldn't have known it, while Jamie is also and has been playing more at 12 than ten this season."

Woodhead's eye for the break was particularly apparent in the first half, while Guy managed the game well, landing a pin-point crossfield kick for Robbie Davidson's match-winning try in the 72nd minute and recovering from a straightforward penalty miss in the 11th minute to nail the conversions of tries by Dan Stockdale in the 24th minute and Robbie Davidson in the 59th and 73rd minutes.

Doherty added: "We also went well in the set-piece, with all of the front row doing well, James Huck and Ian Larkin coming off the bench to replace Toms Asejevs and Dan Stockdale."

Prop Joe Altham played for the full 80 minutes for the Greens, who moved up two places to fourth from bottom, leap-frogging Sheffield Tigers and Harrogate ahead of the Festive break, with the Greens resuming their league programme on Saturday, January 7 at tenth-placed Hinckley.