Swinton Lions head coach Paul Wood praised his young team after a narrow 18-16 defeat to Rochdale Hornets in the 1895 Cup.
The Swinton Lions were defeated in a tightly contested battle between the two Greater Manchester sides, losing by two points to miss out on the next round.
The League One Rugby side will be upset to be exiting the competition so early, but will the lions can walk away with their heads held high.
The Lions were able to score multiple tries with Aaron Lynch, Ellis Anderson and Dan Abram all putting the ball down to keep them in the fixture.
And the young side clearly left an impression on head coach Paul Wood, as he shared his praises after the game.
Wood said: “Obviously disappointed to get the loss but could see massive improvements of where we’re at.
“The lads worked really hard on the stuff that, you know, we’ve been practising in training. I’m really proud of them and the effort that they put in today.”
“The fans were fantastic today. We brought good numbers and they cheered us really well and I’m sure the people watching that can see that these young lads are just leaving it out all on the field,” he added.
Lions centre, Dan Abram, hit 600 career points for Swinton Lions in the match, as Wood was quick to recognise his consistent performances for the team.
“I’m really proud of Dan Abram. He’s worked absolutely his socks off to get back in the squad and his self belief and his confidence is coming back.
“The fact that he scored 600 points for Swinton lions shows that he is a player and he’s done a great deal in the game and I think his attitude over the last two months has been absolutely fantastic.
“So I’m so pleased that he’s got the 600 points and do you know what? He’ll score plenty more as well this season and he’s going to be a great addition for us this year that’s going to play a massive part in our season,” he said.
Wood praised the fans and their wavering support. He said: “The support was brilliant I thought fans were very vocal, and it was great to see that they clapped the lads off the field.”
The defeat will be a difficult one to take, but the head coach has assured fans that they will be back and ready for their opening league fixture against Whitehaven.
He said: “Stay patient because we’re a team that’s building, and we will create something special with this team, from my experience in rugby league, we have got all the right ingredients to create something special.”
The young team will play their first league game on the 23 February against Whitehaven in the BetFred League One and hope to start the campaign in winning ways – with more information found here.
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