NEIL Mitchell accepts Stourbridge RFC must start building for next season after admitting “we’re going down.”

Although mathematically Saxons have the remotest chance of escaping the drop from National One, in essence they are effectively relegated after Saturday’s 25-22 to Rosslyn Park.

Director of rugby Mitchell said plans must now put be in place to ensure a swift return.

He said: “We have got to start planning for next year, because the reality is, we’re going to go down.

“For me, it’s about coming straight back up again and we need to start doing something about it now.

“We’ve had two very difficult years, so perhaps we need to reinvent ourselves a little bit and strive for success.”

Mitchell remains under no illusions about the task ahead and realises an immediate return to National One won’t be easy, especially with the prospect of powerful Rugby Lions coming up into the same division.

However he is optimistic the Saxons can succeed, adding: “We’ve got lots of players with Championship experience and if we can maintain those players, then they can do a job for us at the level below.

“There’s a physicality at the level below, but if you can bring that experience in during a hard season, it will do us a power of good. So it’s important to maintain the core of players that we already have, because it’s still a big leap for sides coming up from the level below!”

There was irony in the fact Saxons’ fate was virtually sealed despite producing one of their better performances against Rosslyn Park — a point not lost on Mitchell.

He added: “If we’d played like that for half of the season, we wouldn’t be where we are — but we are where we are.

“We had chances to win the game, but too often we make the wrong decision at critical times.”