Tigers coach Tom Watkins believes away form could hold the key to a sustained assault on the English Premier League title this season.
Photo Credit to Matt Bowyer
The Telford men have won all four of their league games so far, but enjoyed more comfortable success during games in Basingstoke and Guildford.
Victories over Manchester and Sheffield at Telford Ice Rink have been far closer affairs, with the Steeldogs still in contention during the closing moments last Sunday.
That strategy will be put to the test this weekend, when the Tigers travel to face Swindon Wildcats on Saturday, before Sunday’s visit of Basingstoke.
And Watkins will demand a continuation of that successful away form, starting with the trip to Wiltshire.
He said: “It would be very satisfying to win there, as it’s always good to pick up points on the road and start the season with three away wins.
“We have to turn up and play on the road, if we want to have a chance of being involved in a title push. We’ve got to turn up every night.
“I think we’ve played our better hockey away from home so far and struggled a bit with our play at home. Our road form has been good, so we need to keep that going.
“We have had good discipline in away games, and we want to make sure we have that same discipline here in Telford.”
Saturday’s game will see Telford face import Max Birbraer, who moved to Swindon this summer after two years with the Tigers.
Watkins added: “Swindon are quite similar to what they had last year. We all know Max and he was a great guy for our team over the last few years.
“He’s playing in red now, so we need to go and play in a rink where we haven’t had a lot of success recently. We’ve got to find a way of turning the corner there.”
The visit of Basingstoke to Telford on Sunday will be the second meeting of the two sides this season, following a 4-1 win for the Tigers in Hampshire a fortnight ago.
But with the Bison having won the English Premier League title in March, Watkins believes there is much more to come from them.
“Basingstoke have got some outstanding players and anything can happen,” he said.
“We just have to be switched on, regardless of who we’re playing against. It is essential that we bring our best every shift.
“That is something you work towards all the time and you will have ups and downs, but the sign of a good team is when you don’t play great but still pick up points.”
Saturday’s game at the Link Centre in Swindon starts at 5.45pm, while the action gets under way in Telford at 6pm on Sunday.
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