CARDIFF, UK – Cardiff ENL Devils are hoping to go one better after finishing as runners-up last season in the English National League, but it will be a tall order for the Welsh side.
Mark Cuddihy is a passionate man. In a country where people wear their hearts on their sleeve when it comes to sport, the Head Coach of Cardiff ENL Devils is no different from his fellow Welshmen. Last season he guided his gritty yet talented side to a second place finish before suffering a shock play off exit at the hands of Wightlink Raiders and Chelmsford Chieftains against whom they were well-beaten 10-1 in Essex.
As with any talented team in the ENL, the vultures from above soon circulate and last year’s top scorer Steve Fisher was snapped up by Swindon Wildcats this summer. Add this to the departure of the charismatic Alan Armour to Bristol, a lack of any real budget and most importantly the improvement of all of their rival’s rosters, and you can see where the challenges lie for Cuddihy.
Photo by Tim Bowers
The news isn’t all bad though, as Cuddihy has managed to hold on to some notable personnel including Captain David James and the likes of Tim Burrows, Chris Jones and Luke Piggott, who are all proven scorers at this level. Add in the tough and edgy defensive trio of Phil Manny, Gareth Dixon and Chris Hart and it is soon apparent the ENL Devils will be a challenge for anyone. Talking of edgy, goalie Mike Brabon, who clocked a staggering 70 minutes in penalties last season, has also signed up for another campaign with the team. Replacing Armour in both the character and on ice department is Steve Maile, a surprise capture from Peterborough who will fit in well with the ENL Devils style of play.
Despite the usual emphasis on home grown players from Cardiff’s excellent junior development scheme, Cuddihy admits that with the league advancing he has become enamoured with the idea of acquiring some foreign flair for his side this season:
“I am working hard at bringing in an import but it has to be 100% right for us” said Cuddihy. “They would have to be able to step up and play Elite League should the need arise. Having said that we seem to have found a large Slovak community in South Wales and some of those guys can play. They are skating with us for now and we will see what happens towards the end of the summer for those guys”
Most ENL teams have already started pre-season training in a bid to get a jump start on their rivals. As far as Cardiff are concerned, Cuddihy reveals that hockey in the Welsh capital takes a novel twist come the off season:
“All month in July we do the Annual ‘Cudd’ v ‘Jaymo’ (David James) Challenge” smiles Cuddihy. “A draft of Elite and ENL guys, with a few EPL guys that are home for the summer, and some of our juniors that are out playing in North America and Germany take part”
“The pace is really quick” he adds. “We play an 11 game series and Jaymo wont thank me for this, but it’s all over already, in straight games (with some cricket scores). We will pick practice up the second week in August and start focusing on systems”
In other good news for the team, the ENL Devils have secured a gym sponsor in ‘Fit Space Cardiff’ and this means the team now have state of the art facilities to work out in. Maintaining the development ethos of the team, Cuddihy is confident the good work can continue:
Cuddihy in action (Photo by Tim Bowers)
“We are looking at some very good young kids that have been playing under 16’s and ENL 2” said the Coach. “We will take a few this year at the very least on two ways. That’s really the main aim for us, to develop these players. Next year the Elite league team will have 5 players that have come though the junior system here in Cardiff, not too sure if other Elite league teams can say that”
So with the summer almost over and preparations in full flow, is Cuddihy prepared to make an early prediction as to how his team will do?
“I’m fairly confident we will push all the way again this year. If I get some good news on a few things next week then I’m extremely confident for next year”
Confidence is nothing new on a man who sported a savage mohican haircut towards the end of last season, but no one in the league will be looking forward to facing the ENL Devils this season, especially in their Blue Tent Fortress, where they lost only once all last season in all competitions. It will be some achievement if they can pull it off again this year.
Contact the author: david.carr@prohockeynews.com
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