WHARFEDALE coach John Feeley said there is "great optimism" looking forward despite a last minute loss last weekend.

After they conceded a penalty in the last two minutes which resulted in a 20-17 loss to Fylde, Feeley said there were a lot of positives to take out of the game.

"My overall feeling, despite a dramatic finish and disappointing loss at the end, is great optimism," said Feeley. "We got a very positive response from the previous week and the big positive was the new faces that came in."

"Richard Rhodes, Ben Sowery and Toms Asejevs brought experience and added an impact in the game from the forwards," he said.

"Ben Blackwell made his first start of the year and he proved to be real handful. He's a real quality player and tremendous athlete, who is not only strong but has good ball skills."

Blackwell, who joined from Keighley RUFC at the start of the season, had made two substitute appearances in the first team, and returned to the side, having recovered from a concussion.

"He's a player of high ability and Wharfedale is the right place for him progress with his rugby," said Feeley.

Despite the loss, Feeley said the Greens put together a good second half performance, having the lion's share of the possession and persevering with the team's game plan.

Although it was third loss in a row, it followed on from three consecutive wins where the margin of victory between the teams was ten points or less.

"We've proven over the course of this year that there is no-one in this league that we're not capable of beating," he said. "We just have to eradicate the inconsistencies.

"The longer this team is together, the better we become. There's been a great deal of promise shown from a very capable set of players."

This Saturday's game against Tynedale at the Avenue will see Feeley and Wharfedale defence and forwards coach Jon Skurr face off against Ben Woods, a former teammate from their playing days and an excellent former back rower with the Leicester Tigers.

"There is bit of personal interest as we're desperate to beat his team," said Feeley. "They are very good attacking side, so we'll be focusing on our defence this week."

He also said the Greens will be looking to avoid any more infringements in the ruck, which he said is "a bit of a contentious area in the league".

"We want to remove these infringements from our game and get on the side of the referee."