WHARFEDALE'S position might be precarious in terms of their National League One survival but no towels are being thrown in or white flags raised at The Avenue.

The Greens are in the highest of the three relegation places but trail fourth-from-bottom Hull Ionians by 11 points with three matches left.

Wharfedale can only gain another 15 points but the good news is that Ionians are Saturday's visitors, and Greens coach Jon Feeley says: "If we can beat Ionians then it transfers some of the pressure onto them, but we know what game they will be playing in terms of the driving maul, and they have one of our former players in Matt Dudman at No 9."

Although Wharfedale lost 30-10 at Plymouth Albion last weekend, Feeley was encouraged by much of what he saw.

He said: "We played some of the best rugby that we have played all season in the first quarter of the match and we had many periods of pressure in and around their 22 throughout the match.

"Plymouth's director of rugby Graham Dawe said that we had one of the best attacks that he had seen but we paid for one or two silly errors and some indecision, and the difference was how potent they were in our 22."

Feeley added: "Phil Woodhead was the best player on the pitch and was deservedly man of the match, while Ollie Cicognini had his first game back.

"We haven't seen enough of him due to injury and he showed us what we have been missing.

"Also Dan Solomi has been back in the fold for the past two weeks and had some of his trademark runs which can break open a defence."

Second rows George Hedgley and former Prince Henry's Grammar School pupil Daniel Preston-Routledge, who are both 20, also impressed Feeley.

He said: "George went down with flu last Friday and did well to get through the 80 minutes, while Dan also had an impressive game.

"You can see why Yorkshire Carnegie think so highly of him and he can definitely play at this level."

Wharfedale's two final fixtures are at Fylde on Saturday, April 23 and at home to Coventry on Saturday, April 30.