Bradford Salem 19, Ilkley 3

Injury-ravaged Bradford Salem only won one of their first eight matches this season in Yorkshire Division One.

But since getting some of their crocked players back, they have triumphed in their last three matches to climb away from the threat of relegation into mid-table security.

Salem second row Damien Cope reckons this derby victory over second-placed Ilkley will make the rest of the division sit up and take notice.

Cope, who retired after limping off the Twickenham turf only 27 minutes into their EDF Energy Senior Vase defeat to Northwich in April but made a comeback on November 3, said: "We may have started the season badly but this result is a wake-up call for the rest of the league that we are coming good.

"We are not going to get promoted but finishing in the top four or five would be a great end result after the way we began the campaign.

"At the beginning of the season we were winning one or two line-outs a game but here we only lost two out of 17 so they are not bad figures."

The victory maintained the Indian sign that Salem have over their near neighbours.

Cope said: "There is a massive rivalry between us and Ilkley and we are always up for it against them - they don't like playing us for some reason.

"They are a good side but they just seem to freeze against us and we beat them in every department here.

"We knew before the game that we would win. We have a lot of players that have come back and we are confident in our own ability but also I think Ilkley are wary of us, even frightened.

"They are second in the league but they are another side that we have stopped from scoring a try and that says something."

The first half finished scoreless but Salem's superiority showed in the second half with tries for scrum half Ian Woodwiss and flanker Steve Cowman, plus a penalty try, and two conversions from fly half Matthew Booth set against a Peter Shanks penalty for Ilkley.

Cope, who was sin-binned for punching in the 67th minute, is enjoying his return to Salem's boilerhouse'. He said: "It is great to play behind 20-plus stone Simon Davies, dependable Dave Luxton, who must be 19 stone and Charlie Birrell, who must be 18 stone.

"Most teams just can't cope with them, and John Morrell, who is also 18 stone, is playing out of his skin alongside me.

"Add in No 8 Kris Falwasser, who is 18 stone, and there won't be many packs bigger than ours in this league.

As to why he decided to come out of retirement, Cope exp-lained: "After Twickenham last year you form a lot of strong bonds with your mates and I was missing not playing rugby.

"So when we were really struggling a few weeks ago in the forwards, I got the call and came back.

"I missed out pre-season entirely but I played for 80 minutes when we got hammered 63-17 at Sandal early last month. Since then I have been getting fitter culminating in that awesome display that you saw here!

"My residual fitness carries me through. It is deep down but I have managed to pull it back up to the top again and I keep working on it!

"Mark Viner finished last season aged 40, so I might have finished a little too early."