Proud Workington Town coach Dave Clark hailed his battle-hardened side for a mammoth effort against league leaders Toronto Wolfpack.

The Wolfpack claimed the points in a 58-12 win but the scoreline did not reflect the performance, as Toronto knew they had been in a fight as Town struck back in the second half.

Workington played the second half with just one substitute after injuries to Joe Hambley and Phil Joseph, plus Alex Szostak having to head to work, following a long delay to the kick-off time.

“I thought we built a really good platform in the first half,” said Clark.

“It was 28-6 at half-time and we probably learned from the first half regarding errors we made and giving them field position.

“We knew we needed to tighten up in the second half and we had Alex go and Joe Hambley and Phil Joseph were injured, so we only had one sub for 40 minutes.

“So to play with one sub for the last 40 minutes against those boys was great. I can’t fault the players’ effort, desire and passion for the Town jersey.

“There was great intensity from the players. It was just a shame the game ran away from us.”

The match was delayed for more than two hours after officials and some players were caught up in tailbacks after an accident on the M6.

Toronto returned to their hotel and there was a further delay before they returned.

Clark added: “It interrupts your planning and how you get the boys focused for the game but obviously it was the same for both sides.

“But what we got out of today was that this could really start our season and our mentality as a team.

“If we can compete really well against a side like that, we can compete against anybody in this competition.

“We have had a bit of bad luck in three or four games with a last-second try or an error from us leading to a try.

“But I think if we focus now, going forward in the last four games, hopefully, we can get up there.”