Romford & Gidea Park head coach Jordan Wigham admits his side being relegated without having the chance to complete the season is “a hard one to take”.

Wigham’s side were third from bottom in the London Two North East at the time the season was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic, just five points behind Wanstead.

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) opted to determine the final standings at all levels below the Premiership by using a best playing record formula, therefore relegating Romford.

It also means Upminster miss out on promotion by finishing third in the London Three Essex, while Old Cooperians finished sixth and Campion eighth.

And Wigham believes his side had the ability to get out of the bottom three and secure survival if they would have had the chance.

“It’s a difficult one really as I see the need for promotion and relegation but not having the chance to affect that process is a hard one to take,” he said.

“With four games to go we knew we had a chance to be in the fight.

“I feel we had what it took to get out of where we were. We had players returning and we were playing good rugby against teams higher up the table.

“We really did believe we had enough in the tank to get definitely get three wins which would have probably been enough or would have given us a chance going into the last game of the season away to Wymondham.”

Romford had suffered a narrow three-point defeat to Diss in their last game before the suspension of the season and were then due to take on relegation rivals Wanstead.

They managed four league wins in total this season, losing 14, and Wigham accepts that there were times when his side let themselves down.

He added: “We have done a lot of reflection over the last few weeks and we know there were some significant areas that we let ourselves down in.

“To also have over 44 player injuries through the course of the year is also a massive factor.

“Having said that, we had chances to win games and near the end of the season we should have seen out some tight games.

“The boys know what went wrong and likewise so do the coaches and we know where we need to improve for next season.

“We know that it will all be about the challenges we face every week as we are the team that has been relegated and will be the target for every team to beat.”