PAISLEY PIRATES-PREVIEW

Paisley Pirates face another difficult weekend as they take on Edinburgh Capitals at Braehead Arena this Sunday. The clubs drew 3-3 in a tense match in the capital last Sunday, and Pirates coach Ian Turley is expecting another close game when they clash for the second time in a week.

“In recent years our league games against the Caps have always been tight affairs, with never much more than a goal or so between the teams, and I don’t think this Sunday is likely to be any different,” he said. “We had a tough weekend just past when we scraped by Aberdeen Lynx before going to Edinburgh on the Sunday, and I have mixed feelings at the outcome of the double header having not gained the full four points. I thought we were a bit disjointed at certain junctures over the weekend and made some bad decisions when it really mattered. I’ll be looking for the boys to dig deep, play to the maximum of their ability and effort to ensure there’s no slip ups this weekend.”

He went on, “We’ve been playing with various bumps and bruises, something which the fans don’t always realise, but we’re now at the business end of the season, when you’re playing for prizes, so we just have to get on with it and grind out the results we need. We’ve got five games left to play in the league, and we are regarding every one of them as crucial. There can be absolutely no let up from us in training and games on the run in to the finish-we simply can’t afford to relax, and I’ll be reminding everyone of that fact in the coming weeks.”

“The fans also have their role to play in getting right behind the boys, forgetting about anything else that’s going on, and giving them every bit of encouragement that they can muster. The noise level has risen sharply in the last couple of home games, and we’ve seen a lot of familiar faces back watching us, as the word is obviously getting about that a Paisley Pirates match provides great entertainment and is excellent value for money. We’re hoping that they continue to come along and watch us as, believe me, a good, encouraging support makes all the difference in the world.”

Face off on Sunday is at 6.00pm