PART ONE - FROM THE DUGOUT: “PROUD OF THE PROGRESS, DISAPPOINTED WE FELL SHORT”

One week on from the conclusion of Skirlaugh’s season, Head Coach Matt Danville gives his honest assessment of the play-off defeat at Keighley Albion, the lessons learned during the promotion campaign and the considerable progress made across the Open Age section.

Skirlaugh travelled to Keighley knowing victory would secure a place in the quarter-finals, but a demanding afternoon ended in a 26–8 defeat and brought the curtain down on a season which had promised so much.

The final score was decisive, but Danville believes it did not tell the complete story of the contest.

“I genuinely believe it was a game we could have won,” he said.

“The scoreline probably doesn’t reflect the full game. The effort and fight from the players were outstanding and, for large parts, I thought we executed our game plan well.

“We made too many errors at important moments, though, and those errors contributed to tries.

“We also had an important try disallowed at a vital stage which could have shifted the momentum, but there are no excuses. The players emptied the tank and gave everything they had.”

Keighley punish key errors

With Skirlaugh missing nine players who had regularly featured in the First Team during the season, the squad faced an enormous challenge against the Yorkshire A champions.

Danville refused to use the injury situation as an excuse, but acknowledged that it placed significant pressure on the club’s squad depth.

“When you have two or three players missing, you can usually manage it,” he explained. “Nine is different.

“We had some very good and influential players standing on the sidelines during the final three matches of the season. That was frustrating and unfortunate, particularly at such an important stage.

“However, we still selected 17 players who were capable of winning the game. The players embraced the occasion and the pressure wasn’t the issue.

“It came down to execution and field position. Keighley were more clinical when their opportunities arrived. At knockout level, those moments make the difference.”

The defeat followed a group campaign which began with an encouraging 32–16 victory over Distington at Eastside.

Saddleworth Rangers then inflicted Skirlaugh’s first home defeat of the season before the decisive journey to Keighley.

“We beat Distington without being at our best,” Danville reflected. “Against Saddleworth, our mistakes were punished, and Keighley represented another step up.

“The play-offs taught us a lot about discipline, completing sets, controlling field position and taking opportunities.

“There were glimpses of our best rugby, but we didn’t produce one complete performance across the three play-off matches.

“Talent gets you into those games. Consistency and game management help you win them.”

A difficult but valuable reality check

The defeat to Saddleworth brought Skirlaugh’s unbeaten Eastside record to an end and left the team needing victory in its final group fixture.

Danville described that result as a difficult but important reality check.

“Saddleworth were the better side and deserved their win,” he said.

“We started well, had possession and field position, but didn’t convert that into points. We then became passive and allowed them to dictate too much of the game.

“They were disciplined, organised and clinical. We had spoken about going up another level for the play-offs, and Saddleworth did that better than we did.

“You have to own that rather than look for excuses.”

It was a reminder of the standards required to take the next step—a theme which continued at Keighley seven days later.

“The best sides manage difficult periods,” Danville added. “They make fewer errors and they take their chances.

“Sometimes it is about making the boring decision: complete the set, find a good kick, defend properly and stay patient.

“That is an area where we need to improve.”

A season of genuine progress

Although the ultimate target of promotion was not achieved, the campaign still represented a major step forward for Skirlaugh’s Open Age section.

The club fulfilled every fixture across its First Team and Academy schedules, while the First Team finished second in Yorkshire B—just one competition point behind the leaders.

Skirlaugh also reached the quarter-finals of the BARLA National Cup, remained unbeaten at Eastside throughout the regular season and secured a place in the end-of-season promotion play-offs.

“There has been a huge amount of progress,” Danville said.

“We finished second by a single point, reached a National Cup quarter-final, went through the regular season unbeaten at Eastside and brought young players into the First Team.

“The connection between the First Team, Academy and Under-18s has also become much stronger.

“We have changed the level of expectation around the Open Age. The standards, culture and accountability within the group are different now.

“Players hold each other accountable. They understand what representing Skirlaugh should look like.”

Making Eastside a fortress

One of the most satisfying achievements for Danville was turning Eastside into one of the most difficult grounds for visiting teams during the regular season.

Creating that home record had been identified as a priority before the campaign began.

“Making Eastside a fortress was one of our main targets,” he explained.

“We wanted teams to know they were going to face a difficult afternoon when they came here.

“The players bought into that and the supporters played a huge part as well. The atmosphere, encouragement and connection between the team and the people watching made a real difference.

“The Saddleworth defeat hurt because everyone was proud of that record, but it shouldn’t take away from what the players achieved at home across the regular season.”

The moments which shaped the season

Skirlaugh ultimately finished one point short of top spot in Yorkshire B, and Danville believes several decisive performances showed where further development is needed.

Defeats against Featherstone Lions and Newsome Panthers proved costly, while the early-season loss at Siddal remains a particular source of frustration.

“Our third league game away at Siddal was probably our worst performance of the season, and ultimately those points mattered,” he said.

“There were other games and periods we will look back on, but I don’t believe in spending the off-season saying ‘if only’.

“You finish where you deserve to finish. We fell short because we were not consistent enough in some of the biggest moments.

“That does not mean there is a huge gulf between ourselves and the teams above us. It means we need greater depth, better game management and more consistency.”

Pride and disappointment

Danville is honest enough to admit that Skirlaugh did not achieve every objective set at the beginning of the year.

The ambition was to win the division and earn promotion. Neither was achieved, meaning pride in the club’s progress is accompanied by genuine disappointment.

“Both things can be true,” he said.

“We can be proud of the enormous progress that has been made while also being disappointed that we fell short.

“We didn’t set out simply to improve. We wanted to win the league and achieve promotion.

“We haven’t won anything yet, so we can’t allow ourselves to become comfortable.

“At the same time, when you look at where this group started and where it finished, the development has happened more quickly than I expected.

“The experienced players and the young lads came together brilliantly. Expectations have changed, and that is important.

“We need to use the disappointment properly. It should motivate us, because we have now seen how close we can get and what it will take to go further.”

Part Two of our season-ending conversation with Matt Danville will be published on Thursday, when the Head Coach discusses Skirlaugh’s emerging young players, the club’s development pathway and the plans already being made for 2027.

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