WHARFEDALE are adopting a siege mentality after slipping to the bottom of National League Two North.

Their head coach James Doherty admitted that it felt like: "It is us against the world" as they try to avoid dropping out of the national league set up altogether.

The Greens have won only one of their nine league matches this season, and a combination of their 24-10 defeat at Leicester Lions last Saturday and Sheffield breaking their seasonal duck with a 20-14 home win over Blaydon sent them to the bottom.

One alarming trend that has emerged recently has been their tendency to start matches in a very lacklustre fashion.

They were 24-0 down up the slope at home to Blaydon three weeks ago, 29-0 adrift at Huddersfield after 24 minutes a fortnight ago and 19-0 behind at home to Leicester Lions after ten minutes up the slope at The Avenue last Saturday.

"In many ways the three games have been similar," admitted Doherty, "and you are not going to win many from 19-0 down after ten minutes.

"We are giving ourselves too much to do, and we can't use playing into the elements as an excuse either.

"It is baffling because the warm-ups and the preparation have been fine, but we need to be switched on from minute one, and we have been honest with ourselves and the players are taking responsibility.

"But there are positives, such as the pack in general and Chris Swainson, and we are going to need the kind of character that Phil Woodhead showed last weekend.

"He suffered a no-arms tackle, which brought us a penalty but nothing else, which was puzzling, but that is what happens when you are where we are in the table.

"Phil carried on for 20 minutes, which was amazingly brave, and he was in tears in the changing room afterwards – not because of the pain but because he couldn't finish the match."

Doherty was hoping that Josh Burridge could return from his hamstring injury for Saturday's clash at fourth-placed Sedgley Park, but his name was again missing when the team was selected.

The head coach added: "It has been a frustrating one because Josh has almost been there, but it is just that last little bit."

Centre Tom Davidson returns to action after his time with Latvia.

Winger Ben Parkinson has been rewarded with a position in the starting line up after a strong performance off the bench last week.

Ian Larkin and Dan Stockdale rotate at hooker while Adam Howard returns to the back row from honeymoon and Kieran Frost steps up to the first team in the second row after impressing in training.

Wharfedale: Tom Mann, Ben Parkinson, Joel Gill, Tom Davidson, Oli Cicognini, Tom Barrett, Phil Woodhead (c), Joe Altham, Ian Larkin, Reece Ward, Richard Rhodes, Kieran Frost, Adam Howard, Chris Swainson, George Hedgley. Replacements: Dan Stockdale, Toms Asejevs, Tom Whyte, Stevie Graham, Will Lawn