WASPS director of rugby Dai Young says he has to be pleased despite ending the season with an eight-game losing run.
They were beaten 21-20 at Sale on Saturday to complete a dismal end to the campaign, but Young believes the form they showed between October and February just about leaves them even.
He said: “We’d have settled for this at the start of the season. Coming into it, this is the type of position we were talking about so we’ve got to be pleased, it’s a major step forward.
“We’ve been sensible in our planning. We know we’re not going to make massive strides in one season and things have to be sustainable both on and off the field.
“We’ve made a step forward this season and next season we have to make another step forward.
“The target has got to be to get in the top six, but that’s not going to be easy.”
A top six finish looked comfortably within reach after they beat Gloucester to consolidate fourth place in late February.
At the time, nobody would have predicted that would be their last win of the campaign.
Young said: “We played above ourselves in the middle part of the season. When were at the dizzy heights of fourth, I don’t think that’s where we are as a team.
“I still think we’re developing and I didn’t think at the time that was a realistic position or a position we were going to maintain.
“The goal was to get to the last month not looking over our shoulders. We’ve achieved that, but that doesn’t take away the disappointment of the last six games.
“It’s been disappointing to finish on a bit of a whimper.”
Wasps’ final game was a 21-20 defeat in Sale last Saturday.
Although it was a step up from their home loss to Exeter, Wasps were still some way shy of the side they were two months ago.
Young said: “Our performance in defence was a major step up from Exeter, but we have to look at why we were defending for such long periods.
“I was disappointed in our ball retention. When we kept hold of the ball for extended periods we scored two good tries.
“But our accuracy with the ball has caused us problems for the last six weeks.
“It would have been nice to have finished with a win, but we’ve been hammered in possession and territory in the last six games.”
From the outside, Wasps’ agonising, last-gasp home defeat to Northampton appears to have knocked the fight out of them.
Young said: “I don’t think it’s a case of denting morale. Morale doesn’t drop balls and miss his tackles.
“That’s a game we could have won but, realistically, should we have won it? Probably not.
“Those four points would have put us in a different position, but we still had it in our hands playing at home to Exeter."
