We're down but still not out says Fylde RFC boss Spragg

Having also lost their last three of 2017, Fylde now find themselves nine points adrift at the foot of National One and 15 from safety.

Spragg told The Gazette: “Yes, we’re frustrated, though I don’t think the overall situation has changed since Christmas. The top 10 teams are away from us and can’t be caught but the teams above us in the relegation fight have not pulled away.

“We still need a run of three wins in four to give ourselves a flying chance in the final games, and we need to do that sooner rather than later.”

That turnaround won’t be easily achieved in the coming days, with tomorrow’s home clash aganst third-placed Ampthill followed by a visit to leaders Coventry.

But Spragg saw plenty to encourage him in the performance in London, where Fylde scored two tries in a game for the first time since December 2.

He added: “If you judge last Saturday as a stand-alone performance we were decent in most areas.

“We made a few basic errors which they scored from but we were better tactically and the overall performance and team spirit were much better.

“We are disappointed but we are not down and out.”

Fylde traditionally struggle in the capital, though they twice pulled back to within a score only to concede tries at critical moments.

They again conceded at the end of the first 40, increasing their half-time deficit from three points to 10.

Spragg said: “It’s a concentration issue late in the half. We talk about staying in the moment because if you are too distracted your decision-making knocks off and it only takes one momentary lapse.”