Woodford player/head coach Tom Redfern says his side must learn from their experience in the London One North after their relegation was confirmed.

Redfern’s side were already mathematically relegated at the time games were suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic and the Rugby Football Union opted to decide the final tables by a best playing record formula.

It left Woodford second from bottom, while another local side in Eton Manor were awarded fifth position in the same league.

Meanwhile, Wanstead retained their status in the London Two North East, finishing fourth from bottom.

Redfern admits there is a frustration at how the season went but says it has been a good learning experience for his squad.

“If it was null and void we’d have been delighted because we’d have got a stroke of luck but if we’d had played the full season out we wouldn’t have been in the league anyway,” he said.

“I think overall it was a fair reflection of how the league has gone, certainly for our league but I can’t comment for everyone else.

“You could feel for Old Priorians because mathematically they weren’t relegated.

“It would have been a stroke of luck for us to have stayed up, we were praying it was going to be that way but it wasn’t and we’ll take it on the chin and make sure we get better next year.

“Seven games we lost by less than ten points so it’s a clear indication that we were competitive.

“There’s probably a frustration that we didn’t see out the games that we should have but at the same time we weren’t good enough in those games to win them.

“We’re frustrated but you’ve also got to be self-aware enough to say we weren’t good enough.

“We made too many errors at the wrong time and we need to make sure we learn from these experiences and make sure we address them in the next 12 months.

“Hopefully we’ll learn from these experiences and come back to that level as soon as possible.

“I certainly think there’s been some good learning and the players and coaches have all developed because of the experiences.”