Shining brightly since 1984
Formed in 1984, the City Stars have had plenty of ups and downs in their twenty five year history, and current Head Coach Simon Anderson is delighted with how things are going at Oxpens Road:
“The season has gone very well for us, its a tough league and most of the guys in Oxford who played in this league last year have said that it is a step up in ability from last year,
“I think Wightlink and Chelmsford have made the league stronger and although the teams at the bottom have been struggling, they have certainly given us a fright on a couple of occasions. I think if you go into a game not fully prepared and think its going to be an easy game, you could come unstuck for sure”
At the start of the season the City Stars lost guys like Alan Armour, Andrew Shurmer and the Hargreaves brothers, prompting many pundits to
Stars Captain Darren Elliott keeping the locker room harmonious.
“We are in fifth position right now and I would like to think we could retain that for the thirty six game schedule. If we were to break into the top four, I would consider it to be an outstanding season, because the guys have had to make a major adjustment to my style of coaching and the systems I have brought in,
“Also breaking into the top four would mean that we would finish above teams who are spending a lot of money and although I have managed to sign some guys like Juraj Rusic and Ken Forshee. I can assure you that they have not cost us a penny”
Anderson spent last season working in the English Premier League but says the standard of English National league has not surprised him:
“Even though I worked at the EPL level last season, I take an interest in all hockey and so I am aware of players and their abilities. There are a lot of ENL teams that are run very professionally and there are a lot of guys in the league that should be playing or have played EPL hockey, but find the ENL better for their personal and work lives, so the standard is fantastic and has certainly not shocked me in any way”
Anderson is certainly upbeat about his team and points to a factor that has played a big part in Oxford’s success in recent years. The cliché that rings true known as team spirit:
“We have a group of guys who have bought in to my systems, and who are willing to skate through brick walls to win a hockey game. The atmosphere in the room is fantastic and all the guys never quit for 60 minutes,
“We have lately been down a couple of goals going into the third period, especially this past weekend, yet we have been able to work our way back into games and take the points. I don’t think you can ask any more of your guys, but to work hard for 60 minutes, stick to a gameplan and see where it takes you”
Whilst the Stars are sitting pretty, much like any coach, Anderson still thinks there are areas to improve on:
“The biggest frustration is probably the lack of goalscoring. We have struggled in front of goal this season and although we have been good defensively this season, if you don’t put your chances away in this league it can come back and bite you”
With one of the more settled squads in the ENL, many pundits and
Popular defenseman Featherstone leaves for Milton Keynes
Anderson moved again last week to bolster his squad with the capture of Andrew Shurmer from Cardiff. At the same time he allowed defenseman Lee Featherstone to leave the club to the surprise of some fans:
“We have made some changes to the roster and all of them have been for the better. After Oxford had a great season last year, I did not want to make too many changes to the roster and wanted to keep as many guys as possible. The thing then was to replace the guys who left and then give every player a chance to buy into my way of playing and if things didn’t work out, make the changes I needed to make,
“Lee Featherstone is a very good offensive defenseman, but he needed to know when to be offensive and when to be defensive and with me being a defence first coach, I obviously had a lot of meetings with him to try and get him to stay back more,
“Unfortunately we could not come to an agreement on this and so his ice time was cut and so he decided that he wanted to return to Milton Keynes. His wish was granted straight away and we wish Fevs well in MK,
“With Featherstone leaving I was obviously on the lookout for a replacement and Andrew Shurmer was finding the travel to Cardiff expensive and time consuming, so when I heard this I gave him a call and
Former Swindon%2C Cardiff and IOW defenseman Shurmer (Photo Mark Tredgold)
“I believe Shurmer is a massive upgrade for us and he will improve us in all situations. I would not change our six defensemen for any other teams”
With the transfer deadline approaching Anderson is not ruling out further additions to his squad with at least two familiar faces to City Stars fans in his sights:
“We are still waiting on Swindon Wildcats to let us know what is happening with Juraj and this should be resolved very shortly. The month loan is up and I am hopeful of getting Juraj back in the line up,
“I am also hopeful of signing Alan Green, who left Swindon Wildcats last week. Alan is talking to other teams as well, but I’m hoping that the fact that I coached him last year and him being an Oxford lad will work in our favour”
If Anderson manages to secure both of those signings then they will have a major shot at winning the Play Offs. Rusic and Green would both offer speed and goals to the Stars and send warning signals to the other teams in the league. Anderson will be aiming for Play off glory but he is pretty sure who will triumph in the league:
“I think you cannot look past Invicta to win the league. I would be very surprised if they came unstuck. They have the resources to make changes if needs be and have the best British forward in the league in Andy Smith, who in my opinion would be a top Brit in the EPL also if he wanted to step up”
Anderson is clearly enjoying his time in charge of Oxford and in a season that could easily have seen the City Stars struggle, he has to be given credit for putting together a competitive outfit with no budget:
“The guys have been fantastic so far, we have a real tight group in the room and coming to the rink for practices and games right now is fun, so long may it continue”
Thanks for reading and stay safe,
Carrsy
Contact the author david.carr@prohockeynews.com
You must be logged in to post a comment.