WE go into Saturday's Orrell clash with renewed hope and optimism after a week without a game.

The days following the Leeds game were important ones for everyone at Worcester not just because of the disappointment involved, but also for how we reacted to the defeat.

It is always important to bounce back from a loss in a positive fashion and come back stronger.

I certainly think we will do that and we are not throwing in the towel just yet. There is still promotion to play for this season and after Leeds' match at Exeter was rearranged, it has given us a bit of a boost.

Their game at The County Ground - which had already been re-arranged for last Saturday - could not be played because of a waterlogged pitch and has now been pencilled in for April 18.

That is sandwiched between Saturday's trip to Birmingham & Solihull and a home game against London Welsh. Not an easy set of fixtures, especially as they still have to travel to Henley on the final day of the season.

Of course we are focussing on ourselves and our weekend clash but the good thing is that, despite all the despondency, there is still a chance of a sting in the tail in this title race.

We are very aware of the battle we face at Sixways on Saturday though. Orrell come to Worcester scrapping for survival and we know it will be a very physical game. Not only do they want to come away with vital points to aid their survival bid, they will want the prize scalp of Worcester. Orrell probably believe they have a good chance with us coming off the back of the Leeds loss.

However, I can assure the supporters that the team will not let them down. They desperately want to show the fans how much they want the club to do well, especially because they felt they let them down at Headingley.

The squad were physically and emotionally drained after the defeat but they have recovered well and are in good spirits with the game approaching. The only absentee through injury is Chris Simpson-Daniel who is still struggling with a back injury after his car crash.

Richard Jarman comes in at scrum half for his first game since February. I think he will have a very positive effect on the team because he is very experienced and will give some leadership out there on the pitch. Ricky Pellow drops out after a disappointing game at Leeds. The other changes see Scott Barrow come in at centre while at fly-half, Tony Yapp gets his chance.

Nick Baxter and Earl Va'a drop to the bench as Alistair Murdoch switches to the wing. I thought Yapp was impressive for the Warriors at the weekend and he deserves to be back in the side.

He did nothing wrong before the Leeds game and still found himself on the bench. I put Earl in there because he is a 'big game' player but he was the first to admit he did not perform on the day. Tony will just let the ball do the talking against Orrell like he has been all season. He will simply move the ball to the danger men - sounds very simple but the wingers need to have the ball in their hands to do any damage.

The beauty of most sports is that once you start to make things look simple, the game takes care of itself. His, along with Barrow's display for the Warriors, were a couple of real plusses to come out of the game at Weston on Saturday. I was also delighted with the young talent on show.

It is of course a clich but the youngsters are our future and it is a real bonus to have such quality coming through the ranks. Wingers Will Kershaw-Naylor and Chris Moule stole the show with four tries between them but there were also fine displays from Tom Warren, Tom Richardson, Neil Mason and Jon Higgins.

As a coach you need that pool of talent underneath the first team and you can then gradually introduce them and continue their development.

Despite all the doom and gloom around the place in the last week or so, I can assure everyone - the future's bright at Sixways.