SOUTH Woodham Ferrers slipped to second from bottom in the London One North standings following a 43-17 defeat at Saffron Walden.

The setback was Woodham’s sixth in eight games.

But skipper Warren Duggan was keen to remain upbeat.

“The game may have ended with the score 43 to 17 but I think we should take heart from it,” said Duggan.

“We saw that if we can cut out the defensive errors and get back to scoring from our own periods of possession then these games would be far more even and confidence will return.

“That’s what we need to be aiming for.”

Saffron Walden’s win saw them move four points clear of Woodham.

But Duggan knows his side must become more consistent if they are to catch their rivals.

“We were again victims of a Jekyll and Hyde performance,” said Duggan.

“We saw flashes of real promise in this game but too many times we were cancelled out by the self destruct button that has crept into our game in the last two weeks.”

Despite the final scoreline, Woodham started the game brightly as they sought to establish themselves in the game.

But their attacks were rebuffed by Walden’s defence before the hosts hit back to score their first converted try as they punched a hole in Woodham’s defence.

Moments later, a second try followed before Woodham replied with a period of good play as the forwards started to get into their stride, which resulted in a fine try from Ricky Turner.

However, the good work was soon undone when Walden were able to run a long clearance back towards the other end of their pitch to score another converted try, which made it 21-5.

Another try from Brown reduced that lead before Saffron Walden scored another counter-attack try, which hit Woodham hard.

Walden were therefore able to bag another try and a penalty before Woodham got back into the game late on. That pressure resulted in a well-worked try from Ross Noakes, but the game ended on a sour note for Woodham with Jack Reeve picking up an injury.

Woodham host table-topping Chingford this weekend.