CINDERFORD director of rugby Paul Morris says ’an air of inevitability’ has hung over the Dockham Road club as their relegation was confirmed on Saturday.

The Forest side were soundly beaten 43-10 at Rosslyn Park to extinguish any small flame of hope that they could complete a third consecutive great escape in National League One.

And Morris believes that the club’s demotion to National Two South after eight years in the third tier of English rugby is not down to this season alone.

“We’ve been overcome by powerful sides too many times, but it’s not just the end result of a bad season” he said.

“It’s a result of decisions made over the last two or three years.

“I refute any suggestion that we’re a poor side. We’re not, we simply haven’t been competitive enough in National One for too long.

“There’s no shame, no embarrassment in that. The reality is that we we are going to be in the league we ought to be in at the moment.

“National One has got better and better over the last few years and we’ve not kept up with that on or off the pitch.

“I can’t fault the players’ application or their commitment. That has been consistent throughout.

“We would love to bounce straight back up and if can you will have to be a very good side.

“Teams who win National Two South lose less than four or five games a season and you have to be a really good side to to that.

“If that happens, we will obviously be doing things right.”

Morris confirmed that he had held ’informal discussions’ with players regarding their future at the Beavis Memorial Ground, but insisted those discussions would remain private and hopes to keep the side intact.

But Morris and his coaching staff are going into Saturday’s game with bottom side Henley – Cinderford’s last home game in National One – refusing to be beaten.

“It’s a massive game. We’re determined not to finish bottom of the pile and the reality is that if we lose we probably will be.”