WHARFEDALE are still so deeply involved in the relegation dog-fight at the foot of National Division One that they have no scope for the deserved bout of back-slapping that their handsome and crucial win at Nottingham last weekend deserves,(writes Tony Simpson).

The Dalesmen know that if they are to survive, they must still get at least one point more than either Launceston or Nottingham to be secure.

With home games against Doncaster and Kendal and a trip to Harrogate to come, nothing can be taken for granted, although in the present circumstances, a home defeat by Kendal would be a massive setback, albeit that the Cumbrians still have a flickering chance of survival to spur them on.

The only certainty in the equation is that the Dalesmen now need at least a point to get on terms with their rivals for the third relegation slot, a challenge made significantly easier by the performance at Nottingham.

That victory was doubly important for the Dalesmen in that it hauled Nottingham back into the mire and arguably made them the side most likely to fall victim to a late burst of decent form from the Greens.

The two points from that game were obviously vital, but what should also be of substantial importance is the boost to morale that a high-quality display provides.

Wharfedale have under-achieved far too often this season, hence their current plight, and while the success at Nottingham accentuates that fact, it must also have refreshed and renewed the confidence in the camp.

"It was a very good performance, our most complete display for a long time," says coach Peter Hartley.

"Nottingham are an easy side to prepare for in terms of how they play the game, but you still have to deal with their forward style. In this game we did everything going forward, especially our defensive work, and did not give them any chance to gain momentum.

"They had a lot of pressure in the lead up to half-time, but our body angles were very good in defence and while they had more of the possession and territory, we simply didn't let them play.

"They were suggesting afterwards that they had played below their best, but I think that was down to us and the way we went about the challenge.

"In individual terms, I thought Hedley Verity was re-born, going forward all the time, and Ben Wade was always in close support, as was Paul Evans. Andrew Baggett also did a good job when he had to take over from David Pears and scored two very good tries showing plenty of pace in the process.

"That said, it's probably unfair to single out individuals because we didn't have a poor player. They all made a contribution."

A measure of the satisfaction which greeted the result came from the fact that there was no hint of deflation when news filtered through that Launceston had beaten Esher. "The Launceston result wasn't at all damaging because our result was not a case of Nottingham being poor, but Wharfedale being very good. Nottingham were definitely up for it, but we won the attritional part of the game and then finished the job off with some late points." says Hartley.

Whether the Dalesmen would be better off being back in action tomorrow rather than taking a day off is hard to say. The chance to keep the pot boiling after a good win is an obvious temptation, but fly-half Pears will benefit from a week's recovery time after coming off with a thigh strain.

While Wharfedale will spend tomorrow morning training, North Ribblesdale take a weekend away from their Yorkshire One survival campaign when they travel to Bradford Salem for a Yorkshire Shield quarter final.

Selection sees Neil Gemmell, Marc Driver and Russ Howarth being replaced through unavailability with Bryan McGeoch, Ben Topham and Phil Beddard respectively, while Martin Hughes moves out to the wing for a game the Grove Park men should win to help boost morale ahead of their crucial closing league games.

Skipton have been scheduled to have a day off tomorrow since the start of the season and no arrangements have been made to play a game.

Both the first and second teams have been in the fixture pool, but the international weekend has left that option looking fairly threadbare and a late fixture seems unlikely.