BACK to basics was the message from Prime Minister John Major at the 1993 Conservative Party conference in Blackpool.

And it has very much been the theme from Wharfedale's head coach James Doherty this week after a very disappointing 17-14 derby defeat at home to Otley last Saturday in National League Two North.

"Don't get me wrong, Otley thoroughly deserved their victory but it was because we weren't good enough," said Doherty as he put himself through the video nasty again on Tuesday tea-time.

"Otley defended valiantly, but we got so many things simple things wrong - running straight and catching and passing and holding our depth in the backs, and executing line-outs and keeping the ball in contact among the forwards.

"We messed up five or six five-metre line-outs, and I mean messed up.

"Training this week has been very much about going back to basics and getting the fundamentals right.

"I can't even think about our trip to Luctonians on Saturday yet as we have so much of our own to put right."

A clearly frustrated Doherty added: "We missed seven tackles in the match, which sounds all right, but six of those missed tackles resulted in 14 points - two each in the act of scoring both of their tries and two more in the build up to their first try.

"Also we conceded five penalties and Otley conceded 16, but we couldn't take advantage of all our territory and possession, and you could not tell when Otley were down to 14 men.

"We just didn't make life difficult enough for them.

"We also missed our goal-kicker Tom Barrett. Robbie Davidson is a capable goal-kicker, but he obviously hasn't done it for a while and he was poor, missing two shots at goal."

Some spectators felt that the referee could have been harsher on Otley's repeated infringements in terms of yellow cards, but Doherty was having none of it, saying: "The referee was fine."

Wharfedale managed a penalty try, which these days doesn't have to be converted to warrant seven points, and a try for Jack Barnard which Davidson converted.

Another opportunity was snuffed out by what Doherty called "a great cover tackle" on winger Ben Parkinson by Alexander Beaumont.

But Doherty is not going to throw out the baby with the bathwater, saying: "We are not a bullish team but we are trying to play the right way and I am not going to change that."