DEJECTED supporters of Worcester Rugby Club vented their spleen after finishing second best to arch rivals Rotherham in Saturday's National One showdown.

The match at Sixways Stadium had been touted as the promotion decider to the Premier ship.

But despite Worcester enjoying 80 per cent of possession, they lost 9-21 to Rotherham, who punished second half errors by the home side.

Many were gutted that the team they had backed through thick and thin had failed in the crucial game of the season.

"My feelings are unprintable," said Adie Flynn of Warndon Villages.

He was one of thousands of home supporters wearing the Warriors' gold and blue colours while yelling words of encouragement.

But despite vociferous chanting the action on the pitch was not as encouraging.

"Can Cecil Duckworth invest in Velcro gloves so we can catch the ball?" asked Keith Stokes, of St John's.

"I'm very disappointed. We matched them in the forwards but our backs let us down."

"I'm very disappointed," reiterated Rob Boyle, of Warndon Villages.

"Every time we went forward we gave it away and we've got to keep it if we want to go up."

However, rugby club chairman Cecil Duckworth managed to remain upbeat, despite the team's defeat.

He believed Worcester had dominated the game. "They scored a breakaway try which was right against the run of play, but we'd dominated the game before that.

"We just suffered a little on the final ball. The referee didn't do us any favours on the day."

A full house of 5,700 and coverage on Sky Sports 3 was enough to guarantee rugby followers across the country were able to see the game.

For those who couldn't get a ticket, more than a dozen bars around Worcester hosted the match on big screens.

And despite the result going against the Warriors police said there were no problems in the city centre following the showdown.