Milton Keynes – City of Dreams

MILTON KEYNES, UK – Call me a philistine but I have to confess I quite like Milton Keynes. The much maligned ‘Milk and Beans’ gets a bad rep from many in the UK but there are many positives about the place. The main positive being that hockey is big news in this city and has been since the formation of the MK Kings in 1990. The DFC sponsored MK Thunder have been a solid side in the English National League over the past few years despite being overshadowed by their big brothers MK Lightning who compete in the English Premier League. With the league improving this year, the Thunder were widely tipped to struggle this year despite adding fresh blood to the roster in the form of Jamie Holland, Bernie Bradford and Clint Herring. Newly appointed head coach Lewis Clifford is clear what his team’s objectives are: “Our aims are simple really; we want to improve on last year by moving upwards in the table and not being caught in the dog fight at the bottom. At the same time we want to continue using a core of MK trained players and young guys from our junior development system”. The role of player coach is widely debated in the ENL and history has proven that it is not always a successful strategy for teams to adopt. Clifford is all too aware the challenges he faces: “Coaching the team has been a lot more involved than I previously realised, not only do I have to turn up and train and play but all the other stuff that goes with it like the paper work, planning practice, talking to players, writing bits for programmes and so on”. Despite this, Clifford is making the most of the opportunity: “I’m enjoying the challenge and I’m lucky to have some great people around me to support me and help me through it. I have found coaching to be a job of extremes, I get really happy when a practice or a game goes well and quite low when the opposite happens, and luckily the guys are all working hard for me and its making my life easy for the most part”. The Thunder have suffered some heavy defeats this year and the improved competition is a challenge that Clifford and his team are embracing: “The new teams have added to the quality and status of the league. In the past Invicta have always been the benchmark for everyone else to aspire to, and in my opinion they still are. There are a few more teams who can push them now and close the gap between the Dynamos and everyone else. Overall though it can only be good for the guys who play in the league and the young guys on their way through on the way to bigger and better things”.

Regarding his own team, Clifford is reasonably happy with performances despite only two wins from the opening seven games: “I have been really impressed by the way all of the new guys have slotted in and become a part of the team so quick, and they seem to have brought some freshness to the guys who have been here a while. We are lucky to have Woolfie in the pipes for us and he gives us a chance to win which is what you want from your goalie, the forward lines and defensive pairings are all new but they are getting used to each other now and starting to click, which bodes well for the rest of the season”. Time will tell if the Thunder manage to avoid the relegation places but they certainly have the core attributes to give them a fighting chance of doing so. Much like the city they represent, the team is constantly trying to prove the critics wrong and if they stick together and maintain decent home form I think Mr Clifford and his team will be fine this season. Thanks for reading and stay safe. Carrsy Contact the author david.carr@prohockeynews.com