Tigers looking forward with optimism

Tom Watkins – “I’m not sure you would class our second season as a supporters owned hockey team as a season of disappointment. Much to the contrary, just talk to the fans who are well and truly the life blood of the club. Yes we finished in last place but there is so much to be positive about. Don’t get me wrong it’s been extremely difficult season on the ice as was last year. There have been times when we had a long stretch without a win and ultimately as the coach everyone is looking to you. At times I get very frustrated, but if players see me lose belief and have a lack of motivation then it will quickly spread through the team.

I think you have to fully understand the position of the club and the way in which we are owned and operated to really appreciate what a challenge the committee, the fans, the players and I have on a weekly basis. There are teams who play in the ENL South who have bigger budgets than us (and they only have to fund two imports compared with four imports in the EPL). Speak to 99.9% of the fan base and they are genuinely pleased just to have hockey at this level to follow. Of course they want the team to be challenging, but they know that we can’t p ush the boundaries financially as they understand how the club is funded and are on board with the process of establishing ourselves back in Telford and the hockey community. At the end of the day they are the ones who call the shots and really do hold the future in their hands.”

Chris Randall – You have just finished the season out of a playoff spot. It would appear that you beat at least every team in the League once .Was there any teams you never got a result against, and If so who and why do you think they gave you problems ?

TW – “Yes we beat every team in the league once which in itself represents one improvement on our first season and to finish the season with 4 wins out of 6, including two shutouts and the clubs first four point weekend after the team was out of the playoff race was really pleasing. It would have been easy for the guys to have given up and coasted to the end of the season but credit to the players. We played the second half of the season with just 3 imports icing and the final third of the year with just two after Hornak dislocated his shoulder, this made it even more difficult but it gave other guys more responsibility and accountability and th ose responded.

Every team is different and when you compare rosters you would think we would struggle but the only team that really gave us problems on more than one occasion was Swindon. Although we did beat them, they managed to have too much for us to handle and opened us up in several games . I think it became a mental thing carried over from last season. We would be in the game, then and all of a sudden we would give two or three quick goals up and from there we always struggled. Offensively they were a very explosive team.”

CR – You had the most points ever in a EPL season, would it be fair to say that given the vast improvement in the League as a whole, maybe a few seasons ago you would be a mid table team?

TW – “Not sure if we would have been a mid-table team but look at our points total from our last season/our first season in the league we finished in ninth place. This season we have several more wins and more points on the board but finish in last place. The league moved on again this year with the le vel of imports being very high and some very experienced British players”.

CR – Its no secret that you have one of the smallest budgets in the league, compared to the likes of Guildford and Slough and MK. Even in fact the rest of the league. Would you say that your selling point for attracting young talented players is that they will get a fair crack of the whip with regards to development?

TW – “Yes most know our budget is small in comparison to the rest of the teams and this obviously restricts the type of players not only that we can attract but what we can afford. I’ve spoken to many imports and Brits who would be happy to play in Telford but unfortunately we don’t have the resources to attract guys who are experienced at this level. Just look at this year’s roster we have 8 or 9 guys that are 20 or under and all get a massive amount of responsibility. We lost a game at home against Bracknell which I was frustrated with as I felt we should hav e picked something up from the game but when I sat down and analysed things and put it into perspective we were trying to match two 18 year olds up against the likes of Masa and Smital . These guys have played at a really high level and are both top playe rs in this league. W e have no choice but to put our guy s in a situation where they will play against them all night. We lost the game by one goal.

Yes it’s a good selling point and having three of last year’s team move into the Elite League shows that development and opportunity. If those players hadn’t come to Telford would they have been offered that opportunity, I don’t think so.

J ust because we have so many young players doesn’t hold any guarantees, they still have to earn it. I think what we can offer is an opportunity in the EPL for the right guys, perhaps a little earlier. We have good links with several Elite League Teams and in the last two seasons I think we have had 7 or 8 guys on two way contracts with 5 Elite League Teams.”

CR – Ice time and the opportunities to progress to higher levels ,is obviously something you have shown to certain players this season. Who did you lose over the course of the season as a result of those ethos ?

TW – “As mentioned above we had three guys move to the Hull Stingrays in Dan Scott, Andy Mckinney and my younger brother Jack. All guys I would have liked to have retained and probably felt for there on development they would have been better suited in this league to really establish themselves , but that’s not my decision and all of them wanted to take the opportunity in the Elite League. But that’s great for our reputation and really what I feel more players in this league should be trying to do. The EPL classes itself as a development league but I would like to see more development initiatives put in place to really warrant that tag. Yes it recognises British players but perhaps by adding some further rule s to support the development and to have that continuous effect where players are constantly moving up and opening up spots in the EPL for young players.”

CR – Young Luke Brittle is one such young talent ,do you ever envisage the likes of all the Brittle brothers playing together in Telford one day ? Do you think that could become a reality in the future ?

TW – “Luke has had another great season and is still only 18. He has developed his game and takes on a big role in the team.

As for them all playing in Telford, I’m not sure it is possible as much as I’d like them as they are all good players and good guys. Stuart lives in Sheffield, so the distance is a problem and Daniel is goalie and assistant coach in Blackburn. I’ll never say never though.”

CR – I would imagine your links are extremely strong with the junior development system at Telford, which has produced some great players over the years. Gary Clarke, and the Plant brothers Rick and Russ spring to mind. Who is on the horizon that looks to have a bright future within your ranks coming through?

TW – “I’ve been Head Coach with the juniors now for five years, so the link is there and we have several youngsters who skate regularly with the Tigers. In terms of players coming through Adam Taylor has played with us on numerous occasions and made a big impact when he has played as well as a couple of game winning goals. We’ll be looking to him to step up. Other promising guys are the likes of Ed Eaton who played some games when not playing for the Titans, promising goalie Ben Hunt. Some other names that spring to mind are Ben’s brother Oli Hunt along with Connor Gordon and Macaulay Heywood. We want all the juniors to aspire to play for the Tigers, not all will make it but they should have that goal and desire to play. It was the same when I was a kid in Durham, everybody wanted to play for the Wasps.”

CR – Being unique as a team being run by a fans trust are there any major benefits to this? On the other end of the scale does it have any drawbacks at all? Does it limit you as a club in what you can do?

TW – “Not sure if there are any major benefits other than that all the fans know where the club stands off the ice and they have the opportunity to get involved and make a difference. We have all been thrown in at the deep end and have learnt a lot in our first two seasons. We’ve made mistakes which hopefully won’t be made again but all in all it’s a positive experience which gives the fans an understanding of how difficult it is for the owners of teams. Everybody involved has a day job but they give up their time because they want to see EPL hockey in Telford and are really proud to be Tigers fans.”

CR – You have an assistant player coach with you at Telford in the shape of former Wightlink Raiders import net minder Greg Blais . How has he helped you throughout the season?

TW – “As a goalie, Greg probably hadn’t had the same level of interaction on the bench as that of a player. He improved massively from the first to last game of the year and I am very pleased to have had him on board. He is very selfless and has worked extremely hard coaching Declan Ryan to make improvements despite this affecting his own chance of playing.

Greg has experience of playing in several different countries and brings experience to the team, if I want to find out about a player in Europe or North America he normally knows someone he can ask. Greg has a young family and wanted to stay in the UK but also knew that being an import net minder in the EPL limits his chances. He brings a lot to the club both on and off the ice and has got involved in several different areas that have made a big difference to the team. I would certainly say having him on board has been an asset to me and the team.”

CR – With your pedigree of winning trophies at your time in the Elite League with Coventry, has that helped you in any way bring any ideas with you within your time in Telford? How are the local community taking to the side ?Are local businesses getting involved and on board with the club ?

TW – “Its difficult because it’s a totally different situation. I hate to lose and in my time with the Blaze we enjoyed some great times but yes I bring a lot of that experience and I’m also trying to install the same ideals of team, professionalism and work ethic to the Telford set up. The ideal of professionalism isn’t how much you earn but the ideal of professionalism is that you commit yourself totally to your craft. That’s something that I got from my time in Coventry and certainly something I try to instil in to my team.

A couple of things that we have replicated from the Blaze that have always been big events are Ladies Night an d the End of Season Awards. They may not have been done on such a large scale but both have been really fun well attended events.

We have some fantastic support from some local businesses and have been recognised in the community having been asked to support several community and business events. From opening a new Wilkinson store, supporting the Young Carers Charity or being part of switching the Christmas Lights on, thing s are really moving well. We’ve attended probably thirty schools in the last two seasons which has seen a big increase in the number of kids signing up for beginners hockey program which in turn increases numbers in the junior club”

CR -What are the future pans looking like for Telford in the long term?

TW – “Hopefully , very good. The rink is being refurbished this summer which may require us to play our first couple of weeks on the road next year which will in itself present its challenges , but I’m sure the improvements that will be made will be worth it. We’ve just signed a 3 year deal with TRS Personnel to be the Tigers major sponsor which gives us something to build on and as long as we’re moving forward on and off the ice we’re going in the right direction.”

CR – Anything else you want to mention about Telford feel free to say. example Tryout information

TW – “We‘ve decided to again hold some open Trials for the Tigers to be held Sunday May 6 th from 4 to 6 pm. If players are interested they are required to send a confirmation e-mail to coach@telfordtigers.co.uk