ROYAL Wootton Bassett chief George Loughlin insists there were plenty of positives despite suffering a 36-11 South West One East defeat to Chippenham at the weekend.

Bassett took a surprise 11-7 lead in the first half but went into the break with at a slender point disadvantage, 12-11, and a late rally from the hosts in the second half saw them home.

For Loughlin’s troops, David Hogg returned from injury well as he hit two penalties in the first half, alongside a try from Tom Gallimore.

Bassett produced a resolute performance after the break and Loughlin said: “I think the final score was a little bit generous to them but they were the better team.

“To be honest, they are the best team that we have played all season. Particularly in the first match (a 36-12 defeat in November of last year) but we gave them a real good go in the first half.

“They were quite rattled actually and I think they thought they just had to turn up but they had to do a lot more than that.

“In the second half they offloaded the ball well.

They have a big set of forwards and the old saying is a good big un’ is better than a good little un’ “They played some good stuff in the second half but we were still in it right up until they got two tries late on really.

“I think there were a lot a positives to take from it, especially in the first half.

“The biggest one was skipper Dave Hogg, who has been injured since November.

“He came back, scored a couple of penalties and played 60 minutes so that is a big positive. We are happy with that.”

The result means Bassett are now eighth in the league table, a position which Loughlin thinks will be enough to secure safety from relegation.

However, the Bassett coach says it would be good if his side can claim one more win to eradicate any feelings of doubt.

“We are a situation now where we probably need that extra bonus point somewhere,” he added.

Swindon’s recent resurgence was brought to a shuddering halt by Banbury as they thumped Mike Thompson’s side 73-0 in Oxfordshire.

In Southern Counties South, Swindon College Old Boys also missed out, they failed to convert home advantage as they lost 29-17 to North Dorset to leave them third from bottom, five points ahead of Swanage & Wareham.