WHARFEDALE head coach Jon Feeley said he offered “only consolation” to his players following their 12-9 defeat at Hull in National Two North, after he felt a refereeing error cost them victory.

However, he has reassured fans that his team won’t be dwelling on that, and he suggested that the winter weather could give them an advantage as they host a strong Sedgley Park side this weekend.

Saturday’s visitors sit third with 11 wins from their first 14 league games but Feeley believes that is to be expected.

He said: “Sedgley are excellent so it’s no real surprise.

“They have been two divisions higher in recent years, so in the Championship within the last decade. There is a lot of support behind them.

“They have a strong production line in the Manchester area too, which is a big one to choose from.

“They’re full of experienced campaigners, especially their number 12 and front five, but we missed opportunities when we lost narrowly over there earlier in the season.

“So I would say I have seen areas we could capitalise on.”

That could go beyond tactics and set-plays too. The Hull game last week was badly affected by the wind, with Feeley saying it was so strong at one end that it completely dictated the direction of play.

It has also been snowing up in Wharfedale in recent days.

Put to him whether games should be played this close to Christmas, Feeley said: “I’m a pragmatist so I just accept it. You’ve got to adjust to the conditions.

“We can turn it into an advantage, because if we find it tough on Saturday (in snowy conditions), imagine how opposition like Sedgley will feel, having to take a trip through the Dales to go get there.

“We’ll have a big crowd behind us too.”

There was an impressive Wharfedale following at Hull last week as well, but they could not quite inspire the Greens to victory, as the team picked up a solitary losing bonus point.

The game was ultimately decided by a controversial Latu Makaafi try, which came after Wharfedale decided not to contest the Hull lineout.

The referee saw things differently. He deemed that a Greens player had engaged and broke off, and awarded the score.

Feeley said: “We defended their direct line out well. It’s a strength of theirs. But we chose not to engage on that occasion.

“That meant Hull would have had to use the truck and trailer move, which is illegal. But it seems we outsmarted Hull and the official.

“It was unfortunate that they weren’t pulled up, and they shouldn’t have scored.

“We could have improved in some areas but that try is really why we lost, so I only offered consolation to the boys, as the error took victory away from them.

“We’re not going to sulk about it though, and we’re looking forward to this weekend.”