Telford Tigers will be eyeing fourth place in the English Premier League this weekend – but coach Tom Watkins is set to hammer home the dangers of over-confidence.
Saturday sees The Tigers travel to face Swindon Wildcats, while on Sunday evening, they welcome Manchester Phoenix to Telford Ice Rink (6pm).
The right sequence of results elsewhere could give Telford the chance to snatch fourth spot in the table, just a few points adrift of leaders Peterborough Phantoms. 
But a loss of form from the reigning champions could also drop them to seventh in the standings, albeit with a number of games in hand over the chasing sides.
Watkins wants the tight-knit nature of the EPL to serve as a useful reminder to his squad, following their early season struggles.
He said: “I don’t think it’s surprising how competitive the EPL is this season. There’s a group of good sides, from first to sixth, who are very tight at the moment.
“We’ve got to find a way back from our position to a little bit further up the table. It’s a very close league and teams like Peterborough are picking up points all the time.
“I’m watching a lot of video at the moment, trying to pick a way through and find ways to beat these teams.”
Last weekend saw Telford score 16 goals against Sheffield Steeldogs and Hull Pirates, easing pressure on Watkins’ short-handed defensive line-up.
He added: “Scoring that many goals takes pressure off everyone, and not just the defence. Early in the season, I thought the defence were doing enough to win us games.
“It’s good to know that we’ve got confidence in front of goal now, but we’re playing two teams with good netminders this weekend, so we need to play on that a little bit.”
The trip to Wiltshire will see Telford face a Swindon outfit that recruited new coach Aaron Nell a few weeks ago – winning just four games out of seven since.
“Swindon’s offense is key to what they do,” Watkins said.
“They have two very solid forward lines and good netminding, so they can shut you down and then hurt you at the other end. We have to be mindful that they can turn a game very quickly.”
Sunday’s visit of Manchester remains an uncertain prospect for Telford, with the Phoenix missing a number of key players – including import Stanislav Gron.
That will place Watkins on alert after their meeting in Deeside earlier this month, when Manchester shut The Tigers down to emerge 2-1 winners.
He said: “I’m sure we’ve all been up against teams short of bodies, but then they’ve been turned over by them. It’s just a case of being professional and taking nothing for granted.
“We can’t think that just because they have a few guys out, we can take our foot off the gas. Manchester beat us last time out, and we know what they’re capable of.”
Sunday’s game against Manchester Phoenix, at Telford Ice Rink, starts at 6pm. For tickets, go to www.tigershockeyuk.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment.