Telford Tigers player-coach Tom Watkins has called for "more bums on seats" at the ice rink after his short-handed side narrowly missed out on a remarkable victory over Basingstoke Bison in the English Premier League.

Sunday's 3-2 defeat came just 24 hours after the Tigers lost 9-5 to Manchester Phoenix, with three of Telford's goals being scored during an encouraging third period fightback at the Altrincham Ice Dome.

Watkins found himself in charge of a severely depleted side during both games, and an injury to Juraj Senko on Saturday left the Tigers with just eleven fit skaters for the encounter with Basingstoke.

But a gritty display on Sunday almost produced an unlikely victory - and the Tigers boss paid tribute to his exhausted squad.

He said: "As much as much as it was a positive that we had grit and determination, it was a deciding factor in the game. We didn't have the legs to push on and get a third goal.

"Unfortunately, a sloppy error costs us a point at the end of the night. I thought the guys played really well. I can't ask more of them at the minute and they are putting everything in.

"I hope it is appreciated by the fans and it would be great to see some more bums on seats, and a little bit more support at the end of the match, and see a few more people enjoying the effort of the players on the ice."

Telford's scorers on Saturday were Josh Bruce (2), Tom Soar, Joe Henry and Tomas Janak, with Manchester having effectively secured the points with eight goals during the first two periods.

The Tigers found themselves in charge for much of Sunday's game, after goals from Josh Bruce and Scott McKenzie had given them a 2-0 lead at the end of the first period.

The visitors hit back during the second and third periods, with the winning goal coming just one minute from time.

"It is a 60 minute game and they got the winner in the 59th minute," he added.

"To win the game you have got to keep going. We can't whinge that we haven't got guys here or they are injured. You have just got to keep going and the guys will all give you an honest effort every week."

Basingstoke player-coach Steve Moria, meanwhile, was unhappy that his side were unable to post a more convincing scoreline.

He said: "You would think that at full strength we should come out and beat Telford by more than 3-2.

"But it is good when you have good team spirit and Telford have that. They have a tight-knit unit and a lot of young guys. They won't win the league, but they will win a lot of games."

Telford must now regroup for the visit of Guildford Flames on Wednesday evening (8pm).