injury-hit DK go bottom

In all his years involved in rugby, Dudley Kingswinford boss Mark Wilson says he has never known an injury situation like the one which has blighted his side's hopes so far this season.

He was forced to field another makeshift backline against Midlands One leaders Luctonians at Heathbrook on Saturday - their fourth in as many games - and went down 34-7.

The result consigned DK to bottom spot in the table and confidence, unsurprisingly, is low. It seems every strong area of the DK game is systematically being undone by injuries, a point echoed as front row forwards Adam Blackford and Al Francis retired through injury inside the first half an hour on Saturday.

Uncontested scrums followed, which did not suit the hosts as the set-piece had been an area where they had proved dominant. Wilson, who now has two thirds of his first team sidelined through injury, said: "It's unbelievable at the moment. I have never known an injury situation be this bad.

"We are struggling for confidence, there's no two ways about it - but we have been through our third and fourth set of backs.

"We have now got to get some confidence because that has been affected.

"That happens when you get into the losing habit."

Wilson could take some solace in knowing that many of the season's toughest fixtures are already out of the way and that the quality gap dividing the top and bottom sides in the league is not as stark as in previous seasons.

DK were outplayed on Saturday but not to the tune of 30 points, said Wilson, who claimed the victors were 'not that impressive'.

Three of Luctonians' scores came directly from unforced DK errors and while the visitors' defence was not stretched too often, there was enough to suggest in open play that DK's results could turn with some much-overdue good fortune.

The pack is also proving a match for anybody, which bodes well for the winter months when muddier pitches and scrappier performances will come into play.

DK's eight will again need to be dominant this weekend when they visit the unpredictable Peterborough. Wilson said: "It's a good place to go and play rugby.

"They get big crowds down there most weeks but their form varies.

"Obviously we are hoping to catch them on a bad day. We need some luck to come our way."

Influential scrum half Gareth Davies is still out injured. Layton Wilkinson scored a second half try for DK on Saturday and Tom Bissell got a conversion.

Andy McEwan was awarded the home side's man-of-the-match award for a tireless display in the pack.

The backs were again poor but young Liam Reynolds, playing on the left wing, put in an encouraging performance.