First up, I would like to thank all the Knights fans who have followed our cup runs throughout the season and to the army who cheered our guys off the field on Sunday after we were comprehensively beaten in the Arriva Trains Cup semi-final by Hull KR.

It is the first time in my career that I have lost at this stage of the competition, and it's not easy, probably the worst round to lose in, but having said that, we are disappointed but certainly not downhearted.

We said beforehand that it would have to be our best performance of the season, and it certainly wasn't. But what I do know is that the effort and commitment were there - unfortunately, so too were errors aplenty.

Let's not take anything away from the opponents, who defended very well.

Apart from the performance, there were a couple of disappointing aspects out of our control.

First, our playing personnel situation was the worst I have ever encountered as a player or coach. Without going into the individual details so much, the imbalance and lack of forwards on the bench was a contributing factor. To do the hard yards through the rounds and face this for the semi was a tough call for us.

Secondly, there were only six fixtures on the rugby league calendar on Sunday, and I privately expressed my disappointment at the choice of officials before the game.

This is certainly not a a swipe at the referee, Colin Morris, because he is a top bloke, great company and has stood the test of time as a referee over the years. It's the hardest job in the world.

But I did feel a semi-final may have warranted an official a little higher up the RFL pecking order. We were a little bit frustrated to say the least.

I would like to stress, though, that this in no way had any bearing on our performance or the result of the game. We realise that playing in National League Two we aren't going to see much of Russell or Ian Smith, that's a fact of life - but for a semi-final maybe we should have.

Positives? We had a number of players who without doubt, bust their backsides off in very difficult circumstances. And of course the reception we received both throughout and especially after the game. It really lifted the players and now it's time for us to get back on the bike.

A weekend in Workington awaits us. We will train Saturday and travel up straight after.

The bus journey will include our customary sports quiz, and a selection of videos, all rugby ones I might add, plus the usual moans and groans of who has to room with who, before we take in the Sky game, have our dinner then retire. Lights out by nine.

I feel this really helps our preparation and the players get focused for the job.

I ventured along to the York 9s on Saturday and wasn't surprised to see that the strong West Indies outfit met the York Ironsides in the final. With old head Brendan Carlyle pulling all the strings, York had the know-how to dispose of most of their group opponents, while the West Indies were packed with power and pace.

I only saw the rain-drenched group stages on Saturday but understand both the weather and the crowds turned out for the finals on Sunday.

Congratulations to all the participants for helping to make it a great weekend. I am sure the event will grow and positively evolve in the coming years.

Finally a couple of congratulations.

Firstly to Danny Seal, who married his fiance, Louise, on Friday. We did try to get him to put his honeymoon off to play last Sunday, but to no avail. I'm sure everyone at the Knights wishes Danny and Louise all the very best for their future.

Secondly to Austin Buchanan, who deservedly won the Rugby League World Player of the Month for June. Austin pipped Simon Friend to the award, and I'm really pleased our players are being recognised for their efforts. I feel we have a number of players, who if they continue their form through the second half of the league campaign, will be in the shake up for the awards at the end of the season.

Updated: 09:51 Wednesday, June 30, 2004