Richard Horne was proud of his players’ efforts after they fell to a narrow defeat to Barrow Raiders in the Kingstone Press League One Super 8s.

The Dons went down 14-10 in Cumbria in heavy rain at Craven Park and Horne believes the conditions didn’t help his side in their quest for two points.

“They had the better field position during the second half which was due to the conditions, but overall I’m really proud of the team,” he said.

“The conditions didn’t allow us to move the ball about as much as we would have liked, it played into Barrow’s hands a lot.

“I thought the effort from our boys was outstanding and we were the better team on the field at times, a couple of big calls went against us which was disappointing.”

Whitehaven are the Dons’ next opponents at the Keepmoat Stadium and Horne is confident they can build on a positive defensive display as they look to claim their first win in the Super 8s

“Defensively I think that has to be the benchmark for us. We limited their chances which was pleasing to see as we did a good job on their middles,” he added.

“We’re all disappointed not to get the win but there is plenty to build on going in to the Whitehaven game next week.

“Whitehaven are a similar team to Barrow. They’re big and powerful but we’ve put in some good performances against the Cumbrian teams this season.”