STEVE Rhodes looked back at Worcestershire's unsuccessful bid for promotion in the County Championship and declared: "We must learn from our mistakes."

The County's hopes of returning to Division One at the first possible opportunity ended with the bleak draw at Headingley nine days ago.

It proved a more than frustrating conclusion, especially after the New Road men enjoyed a promising start to the campaign when winning four of their opening seven Championship fixtures.

But the club's downfall came in losing their next four matches.

In Rhodes' first test as head-coach, Worcestershire threw away a commanding position to lose at Leicestershire.

Set 141 to win at Grace Road, the County fell short by 12 runs.

Apart from teenager Steve Davies' 49, no batsman stepped up to the plate to guide the County home.

It was the same story in the following three games against Yorkshire and, twice, Northamptonshire.

Despite earning first-innings leads, Worcestershire lacked the mettle to press home their advantage.

Rhodes admits his side came short of deserving a top-three Championship place, but insists the County will make a concerted effort to learn from their failings.

"We made a cracking start to the Championship," said Rhodes. "And there were a lot of good performances early on.

"But it is a marathon, not a sprint. That's in both the one-day and four-day game. It's a shame that we have lacked consistency.

"It's been a frustrating Championship season though, especially after the opening we made. We made some very good starts in matches.

"But in quite a few cases, some of the batsmen did not go on and get a big score when they were in a good position to do so. And, in the bowling department, we did not maintain control of the ball enough in matches.

"That is the disappointing part for me. It was so frustrating. But we will learn from that and it is something we will work on for next year."

Although Worcestershire failed to regain their status in the Championship's elite division, the club can still salvage the season by avoiding the totesport League drop.

Next Sunday's final-day clash against Lancashire could prove the most important fixture of the season, as four points is the requirement for both sides to escape relegation.

Rhodes is confident Worcesteshire have the resolve and character to stay up.

But he insists that if the County did fall through the Division One trapdoor, it would not harm the club's reputation.

Rhodes added: "I think it goes without saying that you want to be in the highest division in both one-day and four-day cricket.

"I don't think it harms our reputation if we did get relegated. Obviously, it's not something we want. But I don't think it harms the club in any way.

"I'm sure the public and members will continue to give us their support. They've turned out in force again this year, notably in the Twenty20 but also in the totesport League and Championship.

"I'm very proud of the support we've been given down the years, through thick and thin."