Bradford Salem may be bottom of Yorkshire Division One but Neil Klenk insists all is not doom and gloom.

Salem’s first-team manager said: “We have just opened our new stand and we are getting three sides out every week, so there is optimism.

“But we have just had a nightmare with injuries. You expect to get players injured over the course of the season but not to lose your whole back row so early in the campaign.”

Klenk added: “Matt Booth broke his hand playing for Bramley Buffaloes the other week and could be out for six weeks, and Steve McManus broke his hand against Keighley.

“But the majority of the injuries have happened to the forwards, where we have been missing Jonny Luxton, Dave Hutton and Chris Fisher.

“Also Dom Henry, Damien Pearson and Kris Falwasser, who has gone on to continental shifts, are unavaialble, but we have resigned Steve Dagg to play in the back row, and we hope to have Steve Cowman back.”

At least Klenk has the consolation of the fixture list.

He said: “I reckon we have already got our two most difficult matches out of the way – York away (lost 33-3) and Sheffield away (lost 35-6) – and we have also lost a home derby against Keighley where we were under-strength.

“We played well at Sheffield last week but, as often happens when you are near the bottom, the bounce of the ball didn’t go our way.”

Klenk admits that Salem have a similar test to the Keighley match, which they lost 20-12, on Saturday when they host Ilkley, who won a scrappy contest 11-10 last weekend at home to Keighley.

Dagg comes straight into the back row.