Falmouth Eagles’ joint coach Graham Whitmore described his side’s Cornwall and Devon League defeat against Hayle at the weekend as a ‘blip’ and said he and fellow coach Phil Angove remained convinced of the potential in the Eagles’ squad.

Falmouth were beaten 15-21 at the Recreation Ground, but Whitmore said the outcome hinged on two key moments rather than any wider failings on the part of his players.

“We were very disappointed with the outcome of the game,” he said. “Straight after half time we fell off a number of tackles and they scored again a minute after the restart. Fourteen unanswered points made a huge dent in the game and that caused us huge issues.”

Despite the result, it was another promising performance from the Eagles, who have made notceable improvements under the new management team, which includes joint-coach Phil Angove.

Both Angove and Whitmore believe there’s much more to come from their players, and the pair have been encouraged by the way Falmouth’s squad have responded to the new caoching methods they’ve implemented.

“They’ve responded brilliantly, and it’s been a joy to come along to training on a Tuesday and Thursday,” said Whitmore, “it’s been a breath of fresh air for us.

“Whaty we were trying to do is bring an intensity to it which they’ve matched. they’ve responded so well it’s been brilliant. That response encourages us to know we’re on the right track.”

Whitmore added: “We’re two months down the line really, and it takes quite a lot of time to forge a new culture amongst the boys. We’re still a work in progress, but there’s so much positivity around this place at the moment it’s unreal and I think we’re just scratching the surface of the potential that’s there.

“I think ultimately if we can keep this side together there’s exciting times ahead, and this is just a blip on the way.”

Falmouth travel to newly promoted Veor this Saturday, in a game they would expect to win, but Whitmore is loathe to make predictions about Falmouth’s prospects this season beyond their next game.

“All we can do is prepapre well, and try and control the things we can control,” he said. “If we keep trying to be as good as we can possibly be, the rest will take care of itself.”