By John Troup

DESPITE seeing his team edged out in heartbreaking fashion by Chelmsford, Braintree Rugby Club head coach Jamie Clarke said his players should take confidence from their display against their local rivals.

Braintree led heading into the final stages of the London League division three Essex derby, but conceded a late try that gave the hosts a 12-10 win and left the Black and Ambers ruing missed chances.

But Clarke says his players should take heart from how they played against a side who have come down into the division this year.

He said: “Despite the result and the pain of losing a derby match I was proud of the lads.

“I thought we dominated, certainly in the first half, and I thought we were the better team overall, but we needed to be a bit more clinical with our chances.

“Playing away at Chelmsford is always going to be difficult but we stuck to our game plan and for large parts of the game we were in control. The players now know, if they didn’t already, that we can compete with any team in this division and our targets for the season are more than achievable.”

Braintree, who sit third in the table, now look forward to their first home game of the season when they entertain Canvey Island at Robbs Wood on Saturday.