CARDIFF, UK – There is an old Welsh proverb that advises of three things to avoid in life: a strange dog, a flood, and a man who thinks he is wise. Had the author been alive today he could justifiably add: an away fixture in Cardiff.
Unbeaten at home this season, the ENL version of the Cardiff Devils are enjoying a strong start to their league campaign under the stewardship of Coach Mark Cuddihy.
Mark Cuddihy has Cardiff in his blood (Photo Tim Bowers)
In only his second season in charge of the team, ‘Cudd’ is a Cardiff boy through and through. He has been with or around the Devils organisation since he was nine years old and has played for the club at every level:
“I guess it’s in my blood, I started playing again for the ENL team three years ago and after my first year back I was asked to coach the guys. It didn’t take me long to agree to it and now there is no looking back”
With Wightlink and Chelmsford joining the league this season, many people considered Cardiff to be a mid table side, but with seventeen games gone the Devils are placed second in the rankings much to the delight of their coach. Cudd is convinced that not only are the team placed well in the league, but they are stronger all round than last season due to off ice changes:
“We expected to be up at the top competing and that’s where we are. I am really happy with the progress made, both on and off the ice. As the ENL team is part of the junior set up within the club, one thing I wanted to change was the way we looked upon it here in Cardiff,
“We tended to look at it as an age group rather than a senior team in it’s own right and I’m not sure that was preparing the guys enough for hockey at a higher level. I discussed this at the start of the year with head of the Devils Committee Foundation Brent Pope and he agreed and backs me 100%,
“We have broken many records off the ice including sponsorship money and attendance. All of that is needed for us to be able to compete in this league. The standard has shot up, the arrival of massive teams like Chelmsford and Wightlink have really raised the bar, it’s very satisfying for a club the size of ours (below an Elite team) to be competing and beating these teams”
Captain David James leading the Devils (Photo Tim Bowers)
“The obvious games that stand out as being enjoyable are the three games against Chelmsford (a win and two draws), beating Wightlink 7-0 and scraping over the line 5-4 against Oxford last weekend”
It isn’t just Cardiff who are benefiting from the talent emerging through the club this season. With a number of players on two way deals with the Elite league Devils, not to mention some guesting for Basingstoke Bison and Romford Raiders in the English Premier League, it is little wonder that hockey fans across the UK are beginning to sit up and take notice of the stream of quality players emerging in Wales.
For the coach, these call ups are part and parcel of the job:
“I have to say that is a top priority for me. Being part of a development set up, things are different here compared with a team that is number one within its arena,
“My job is to prepare guys as best as possible for the Elite league. We
Davies is a model for others to follow (Photo Tim Bowers)
“They can be called upon at any time, it’s almost bitter sweet for me, you want them to help you win, but they have to go and play. It was nice to help out Steve Moria at Basingstoke recently, ‘Mo’ of course is well known here and was in fact my under 16’s coach, it was great to see Steve Fisher get on the score sheet and be named man of the match. We have also, Gareth Dixon, Luke Piggott, Corey Watkins (three way!) Chris Jones and young defenseman Chris Hart now on two ways with Romford helping out Jesse Hammill”
David James is in full agreement with his coach and he believes that the incentive of playing at a higher level is what makes playing at Cardiff such a great place to play hockey for young players:
“Steve Fisher, Corey Watkins and Tim Burrows have all had the chance to train with the Elite Devils over the past year and their games have developed greatly from having that chance,
Fisher impressed for Basingstoke (Photo Tim Bowers)
“Obviously Ben Davies had his time with us and it’s great to see him still improving with the more chances he gets at Elite League level, especially when he manages to turn out for us. There is a great link between the ENL team and the Devils as Gerad Adams and Cudd get on well and regularly talk. Cudd will always be pushing for boys to be training with the Devils”
Recently the team lost Andrew Shurmer who decided to return to the Oxford City Stars. This stirred rumours that fellow Swindon based player Alan Armour would also be departing the club. Cudd insists that Armour is still very much part of the team and that he has also moved to strengthen the team:
“I have had Alex Madge training with us. Alex was training with the Elite team before he got injured and needed to take a year out, with the injury and family commitments we didn’t feel it right to sign him at the start of the year. I asked him to practice with us, just once a week to start with and he looked very sharp in his first game back. I wouldn’t be surprised if Alex plays Elite league in the future, he is that good,
“We are however really sorry to see Andrew go, he was great in the dressing room and gave our defence something different. However, I respect the situation he is in and we all move on”
With so many players coming and going, team spirit is obviously an area that could suffer. Captain James insists that this was never an issue, even at the start of the season with the new arrivals to the team:
“Most the boys here knew Dancey (James Dancey), Manny (Phil Manny) and the likes of Ricky Deacon and James Manson anyway so they’ve just picked up where they left off but for people like Brabs (Mike Brabon), Arms (Alan Armour) and Shurms (Andrew Shurmer) when he was here, the guys took to them straight away. Most of the guys here just love playing and especially being on a team with their mates, so the one or two extra’s have just been swept along in the banter that goes along with playing here”
Speaking of banter, James was keen to point out that despite having a young squad; the team is certainly not short of characters:
“Since coming back from Cudd’s Stag Do in Krakow, Chris Jones or Bruno as we know him due to his hair’s resemblance to that of a certain gay Austrian Fashion TV Presenter has come out of his shell and started answering back in his own comical way,
“You’re never too sure what Corey (Watkins) has done to his hair between the last game and the next training which is how he’s picked up nicknames such as Badger and Stan. Then you’ve got David Sadler who can liven up any dressing room, even if it means wearing his Christmas Jumper, that he wore at last years Christmas party to training last week”
As for what the team aim to achieve this season, the coach and captain both show a confidence in line with the positivity around the club at the minute. Cuddihy is clear in his objective:
“To finish as high as we can in the league, even win it, compete hard in the playoffs and see guys get extra minutes for the Elite team”
James is also not ruling out the possibility of catching Invicta:
“I’d be delighted if we finished where we are in the table now in second place. To be able to compete with the teams that have money to pay people is great for us and it shows the strength and quality of the players that are being produced in Cardiff that we can do that,
“If we can catch and overtake Invicta by the end of the season then that’d be an outstanding achievement but one we firmly believe we can accomplish”
In a league where many teams seem to downplay their chances of catching the Dynamos, it is refreshing but not surprising that the Welsh side are not shy in stating their title challenge to the big boys.
Contact the author David.carr@prohockeynews.com
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