News 2011-2012

Tom Watkins has demanded a reaction from his side as Telford Tigers look to recover from a demoralising set of defeats when they take on Manchester Phoenix and Peterborough Phantoms this weekend.

Last Sunday's loss to Peterborough, added to a similar result in Bracknell the night before, effectively spelled the end of Telford's lingering EPL play-off hopes, following a run of two successive home wins.

The Tigers boss will have the chance for immediate revenge on Sunday when he takes his side to Peterborough, although they must first make the trip to title-chasing Manchester on Saturday.

Watkins said: "We will approach the Manchester game like we do for most road trips. We will have a bit of a defensive mentality and hopefully try to take our chances on the break.

"They have got a good defence and their netminder has been playing well, so it is not an easy place to go. But we have had some good results against them this season."

Telford have, in fact, enjoyed some remarkably close games with Manchester this year, including a 2-1 victory at the start of the season.

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Telford Tigers player-coach Tom Watkins believes his players "choked" in their biggest weekend of the season, with defeats to play-off rivals Bracknell Bees and Peterborough Phantoms.

Saturday night saw the Tigers lose 1-0 to eighth-placed Bracknell in Berkshire, while Sunday produced a 8-6 defeat to the Phantoms.

Those two defeats dealt a huge blow to Telford's lingering hopes of taking part in the end-of-season tournament, although they still remain within mathematical reach.

But Watkins was more concerned about the loss of confidence from his side - especially during Sunday's loss to Peterborough.

He said: "I am disappointed, as it was a big weekend against two teams close to us in the table.

"I felt we choked against Bracknell and Peterborough. We didn't show up for the first two periods at home and these are big games for us.

"It is all about these teams around us in the league. If we had got four points it would have been a huge confidence boost, but to come out flat against Peterborough was frustrating."

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Telford Tigers player-coach Tom Watkins has hailed this weekend's games against Bracknell Bees and Peterborough Phantoms as the "biggest matches of the season" as he looks to keep alive slim hopes of a play-off place.

Two successive victories on home ice have given Telford a late chance of climbing into eighth place in the English Premier League, with both Bracknell and Peterborough immediately above them in the standings.

Just 13 points separate Watkins' side from the final play-berth, and with 18 games remaining, the Tigers boss believes there is still much  to play for.

He said: "Of course, I would love to be in the play-offs, and we will be doing our best, so these are four really big points up for grabs.

"We are playing the next two teams in the league and if things don't go well, then it will make it much harder for us.

"Obviously, the goal is to make the play-offs, and it is still a long shot, but the guys are putting in great efforts to do their best and to make it feasible.

"They are two of the biggest games of the season for us."

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Tom Watkins has called for another bumper crowd against Guildford Flames at Telford Ice Rink on Sunday as he looks to spark a late revival that could lead to an unlikely place in the EPL play-offs.

The Tigers player-coach will be hoping his side can capitalise on the momentum of last weekend's victory over Sheffield Steeldogs in a double-header of games against Guildford this weekend.

That win was watched by one of the biggest gates of the season as the Tigers collected their eighth victory and moved to within 12 points of the final play-off spot.

Telford are still to play those teams around them in the table on five separate occasions, and Watkins believes his side are already benefitting from the win over Sheffield.

He said: "It is always a confidence boost after a win like that and you can tell it has been a big lift for the guys.

"It is only one game, although with the enjoyment of winning at home, I could see it in practice this week."

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