Barrow Raiders Ladies Workington defeat manager reaction

Raiders were narrowly edged out 10-6 in the Women's Super League fixture at the Northern Competitions Stadium.

However, head coach Amanda Wilkinson, believed that there was cause for optimism following an improved display, particularly in defence.

Wilkinson said: "We were beaten by a better team in the end today.

"I thought, defensively, there was a massive improvement - we talked about it a lot, getting caught out at Wigan and York on poor decisions in defence, so I think we fixed that."

Since a 46-0 victory against Salford Red Devils Women on April 7, Raiders have lost 18-4 against Wigan Warriors Women and 28-8 to York Valkyrie.

"I thought we talked better in defence - when we shifted, we got numbers on them and communicated really well," Wilkinson added.

"That's a real positive for us to take away and some of the contact was really good today as well."

Despite an uptick in fortunes towards the back, Wilkinson acknowledged that the attack was 'not good enough' to make them deserving of a victory.

"I'm not going to lie about it, I am disappointed, if that's even the right word.

"They were smart with the ball and made every opportunity a good one, whereas we decided to throw the ball away on the second or third play.

"Poor decisions, poor execution - we just made numbers of breaks, but there was no push and never any options."

In the end, it was a matter of doing the 'simple stuff right' that saw Workington earn the bragging rights.

Attention now turns to a clash against Featherstone Rovers Ladies in two weeks' time, with plenty to work and build upon.

Wilkinson commented: "It's important that they go away and what was good to see is that they [the players] were disappointed today, it was quiet after the game.

"We have to remember that we've come a long way - the last time we played these [Workington], we lost 72-6 - but now it's about staying in this league and learning how to compete."