OTLEY'S rugby chairman Nick Girling has explained why they decided to part company with head coach Mark Luffman.

In the wake of their important 32-8 home victory over Scunthorpe, which gave them a bit of breathing space above the National League Two North relegation zone after five successive defeats, he admitted: "It was down to playing style.

"We wanted to play the way that we did against Tynedale (who Otley beat 39-21 at Cross Green on October 29), and we had a players' meeting in November in which they shared their views, but then we lapsed into our old habits, and we decided that we had to do something otherwise we might be relegated."

The final straw seems to have been Otley's 30-5 defeat at bottom-of-the-table Preston Grasshoppers on January 28, and Girling wrote in last Saturday's programme: "Last Sunday night the club took the difficult decision to part company with Mark Luffman as head coach.

"The executive decided that the club needed a different approach to how we coach and play, so Mark will no longer be involved with immediate effect.

"We wish him well and appreciate his efforts over the years he played and coached at Otley.

"We intend to finish the season without strengthening the existing coaching team.

"We believe we have the players and the coaches to turn the season around and comfortably avoid relegation.

"This will be our sole focus between now and May, and once we have achieved that goal we can review the coaching function before next season.

"Let's get behind the coaches and the players and give them our full and unconditional support."

Otley, who are at home to Hinckley on Saturday, lost winger Alexander Beaumont just before half-time last Saturday with an injury as he scored their third try.

However, director of rugby Peter Clegg explained: "He got a knee in the back and had a spasm but he was okay in training, so we should be much as we were for the Scunthorpe match."

The Lincolnshire visitors lost five players injured during the match, and only threatened Otley's try line when the hosts had Beaumont's replacement Paul Petchey and centre Michael Coady, who didn't see eye to eye with referee Michael Harris, sin-binned.

CLECKHEATON have a match that is as important to them for the same reasons as Otley's contest with Scunthorpe was six days ago.

Scott Benton's side, who are tenth in National League Three North on 31 points, are at home to 12th-placed Doncaster Phoenix, who have 27 points.

A win for Cleckheaton would put more daylight between themselves and the relegation places, while WIBSEY, their neighbours from up the hill, have no such worries.

Already champions of Yorkshire Division Five, they are at league rivals Knaresborough in the Keith Dyas Cup, which has a £500 first prize.

Wibsey (at Knaresborough) from: D Carr, D Hartley, A Cerson, M Darragh, D Wilkinson, S Foulds, J Brown, R Hall, D Conroy, J Sawyer, S Fisher, I Khan, L Wilson, A Armitage, B Worsley, B Wright, J Cull, B Mpofu, R Lucas.