Dons 'can take a lot of positives' from Bradford Bulls defeat, insists head coach

“Obviously we would have liked to have beaten Bradford and then entertained (Super League) Castleford Tigers in the next round because that would have been a big day for the club, not least financially,” he told the Free Press.

“But were we going to win the Challenge Cup? Being realistic, no.

“The 1895 Cup (restricted to Championship and League One sides) is a competition we’ve spoken openly about wanting to have a real go at this year.

“We got a tough first round draw against Sheffield, and we’d have preferred to be at home, but it’s a game we feel we can win and one we are looking forward to.”

Reflecting on the Bradford game, Horne said he had no argument with the result but felt the scoreline was a bit harsh.

“I didn’t think it reflected the amount of effort we put in and we can take a lot of positives,” he said. “What we didn’t do well enough was test them with the ball. But disappointing though that was, I can take that with it being the start of the season.

“We also had half-dozen players missing, mainly forwards, and neither prop had played since last season so the timing of the game probably wasn’t ideal.

“We had a lot going against us but I couldn’t fault the boys for effort. I thought our two second-rowers and (hooker) Greg Burns, when he was on the field, were outstanding and I thought (loose-forward) Loui McConnell applied himself well. I also thought (centre) Reece Lyne looked strong when he carried the ball.

“I just felt in the areas where you needed to be good today (in the conditions) they were very good. I also thought their last tackle plays were smarter than ours were and that helped them build pressure on our line.

“We got off to an awful start when conceding that early try - one of four I thought were preventable - and our line speed wasn’t there. But then I thought we started to get to grips with the game after about 15 minutes and Greg touched down.

“But then they scored twice before the break, the second coming after Brad Hey lost his footing, and we trailed 16-4 at the break

“I don’t think we ever looked like winning in the second half but we continued to defend well and both their tries came from kicks.”

The Dons entertain newly-promoted Super League Wakefield Trinity in a friendly on Sunday (3pm) in a game designed make up for the cancelled pre-season friendly against Hull FC.