Workington coach Phil Veivers admitted that his team lost out to the better side as Town went down 19-12 at Swinton Lions.

It was a must-win game for Town and the defeat will almost certainly see them plying their trade in League One next season.

“We didn’t deserve the win today and it has been well-documented as to how busted the squad is through injury,” said Veivers.

“I thought the direction today from our halves was very average and there were too many average plays. They got an early try through a penalty we gave away in their half, and from the play we failed to field the bomb and they made us pay for it.

“Discipline was also an issue and, to add to that, there were a few strange decisions which put us under pressure right from the first couple of minutes.

“We didn’t get the start that we wanted and an early error lead to the penalty which led to the first try,” added the Aussie.

“There have been too many invitations throughout the season through penalties given to other sides and they have made us pay for it.

“We only had 16 players today as John Patrick was on the bench but would never have played as he was injured. So everyone on the pitch was all we had left and some had to play out of position.

“Again, our halves were average as our forwards worked well in the middle.

“But when we got into good positions, they took us to the edge and then the attack fizzled out.

“If we had stuck to the game plan we might have got a better result. We are still fighting for our position in the Championship and we will re-group for our game at Eagles Sheffield next week.”