The historian D. P. Kirby suggested that the defeat of Edwin was the outcome of a wide-ranging alliance of interests opposed to him, including the deposed Bernician line of Æthelfrith; but considering the subsequent hostility between Cadwallon and Æthelfrith's sons, such an alliance must not have survived the battle for long.
O historiador D. P. Kirby suxeriu que a derrota de Edwin era o resultado dunha ampla alianza de intereses na súa contra, incluíndo á desposuída liña de Æthelfrith en Bernicia; pero tendo en conta a posterior hostilidade entre Cadwallon e os fillos de Æthelfrith, tal alianza non debeu de sobrevivir moito tempo á batalla.