WIRE full-back Stefan Ratchford is one of many Wigan-born players in the Wolves squad and played his amateur rugby for Wigan St Patricks.

Ratchford still lives in the Wigan area and says his phone was already alight with texts from friends of a Warriors persuasion shortly after the final hooter.

“I dreaded looking at my phone,” he joked.

“A lot of people wanted Wigan to win but wanted me to do well at the same time.

“That doesn’t ease the pain but no doubt there will be a few texts saying commiserations.”

The Wolves players took the time to applaud the fans that remained inside Old Trafford as their rivals held the Super League trophy aloft.

Ratchford hailed The Wire faithful’s support as ‘immense’ but says it’s what the side have come to expect over the years.

“The fans were immense. No matter where we go they travel in massive numbers, it is scary,” he said.

“I think the week after Wembley, 1,500 of them went over to Catalans which just shows how loyal they are and it was the same tonight.

“We’re gutted for them as well.

“We did as much as we can but I’m gutted for the fans that we just came up short.”

The Wire end 2016 having won the League Leaders’ Shield, their first silverware since 2012, but also suffered defeat in both major finals.

Ratchford, who was also in the Wolves side that lost the 2012 and 2013 Grand Finals, says their disappointment will spur them on next season.

“The immediate feeling is disappointment after just losing a Grand Final but it will sink in,” he said.

“If we look back in a couple of days, there has been one team which has been in both finals and won the League Leaders’ Shield. That’s something we can be really proud of.

“We feel we have come really far as a group this year. Some of the lesser-known players have developed and the squad as a whole has developed.

“When we look back and reflect, you have to say it has been a pretty good season. We’re a young squad, there won’t be wholesale changes.

“Tasting defeat in two finals is only going to spur us on to really rip into pre-season with a view to going one better next year.”

Wolves were 6-2 up at half-time in a tight game but tries from Oliver Gildart and Josh Charnley sealed victory for the Warriors.

Ryan Atkins had a try disallowed by video referee Ben Thaler early in the second half, but Ratchford says the team didn’t see that as a turning point.

“It’s going to look that way as they went straight up the other end and scored. During the game we didn’t feel it was going to be crucial,” he said.

“We were stood behind the posts thinking ‘So what? These things happen in games.’ We were confident of getting another chance, there was no panic.

“We were really happy with the way the first half went and we came out feeling confident but it didn’t quite happen in the second half. Wigan got a roll on and we just couldn’t stop it.

“These big games are always nip and tuck. The smallest margins are the ones that are going to get you over the line.

“The stuff we did well in the first half, like our kicking game and our kick chase, put us in really good field positions but Wigan did exactly the same in the second half.”