AT this particular moment I feel proud to be the head coach of Huddersfield Giants.

I felt that way before Sunday's Super League game against world champions Bradford Bulls.

But the weekend events helped reinforce that particular point.

Everything about the day was special.

Obviously, it wasn't 100% perfect because we ended up losing the game and losing our unbeaten start to the season in the process.

Yet that apart I really couldn't have asked for much more.

For a start, I thought the support we received from the fans was absolutely tremendous.

It was the foulest of days, and obviously Mother's Day prevented many others from coming to the game.

But to still have 5,000 Huddersfield fans cheering us on was a fantastic achievement, and I feel it is only right to publicly thank everyone for getting behind us in the way they did.

When the boys came out of the tunnel for the start of the game, the noise from our fans was almost deafening and I know it wasn't lost on the players.

To outshout the Bulls fans is no mean achievement, so I think the Giants fans should take a bow for doing just that.

It's at times like this that the players realise that all their efforts and hard work on the training field really is worth it.

And I can say that goes for coaches, too.

I've been bowled over by the way I have been welcomed back to the club with such open arms.

I felt I got on great with the fans when I was here a couple of years ago as the assistant coach to Tony Smith, and I believe it's going just as well right now.

From day one, I have received stacks of cards wishing me the best of luck and received many telephone calls from supporters also wishing me well.

However, it's still knocked me for six how many positive messages I have received following the game against the Bulls.

It's always been one of my aims to provide the fans with quality entertainment and to do what I can to make them feel proud of their team.

From the many messages of support I have seen, I appear to be doing that right now.

Obviously, long may that continue!

Until the Bradford game, we had been averaging seven tries a match in our two Super League wins and Challenge Cup successes.

And even though we maneged only one against the Bulls, I still thought we contributed to what was a highly entertaining encounter, and one which again proved we are definitely heading in the right direction.

I said publicly in the build-up to the game that it wasn't all about the two points on offer - collecting those would have been a bonus.

At this stage in our development, it was all about performance.

This game was to provide the benchmark to see exactly where we were at.

We realised that against the Bulls we were playing at another level, a level which was far higher than anything we had so far encountered this season.

Yet the players all showed they were comfortable at that level.

To be just two points down against the world champions with just 10 minutes remaining was a fantastic achievement, and that's why I was so proud of each and every one of my players. They were a credit to Huddersfield.

I let the players enjoy the moment - but not for too long.

The key now is to build on that and make sure we're ready for York on Sunday.

At stake is a place in the semi-final of the Challenge Cup.

What more motivation should the players need to succeed!