Telford Titans bench coach Paul Shuttleworth has hailed his side’s “astounding performance” after they drew 6-6 with highly-rated Coventry Blaze in the English National League Division One.

A flurry of early goals saw Coventry take the lead in Sunday night’s opening clash of the season, with the first period ending 3-1 in the visitors’ favour.

But the second and third periods saw Telford take the lead on three separate occasions, only for the Blaze to finally equalise with just a few minutes left on the clock.

After a string of disappointing results against Coventry last season, Shuttleworth was delighted with his side’s efforts.

He said: “We were unable to beat Coventry at all last season and to take a point off them in our first game was an astounding performance. “The lads all worked hard and although there is still some work to be done, it was a fantastic start to the season.”

Telford’s scorers were Karol Jets (2), Ryan Stanton (2), Paul Rigby and Adam Taylor.

The topsy-turvy nature of Sunday’s game meant neither side were able to relax, and Shuttleworth was especially impressed by his side’s fightback after two early goals from Coventry.

He added: “The lads had systems to play and a couple of them didn’t buy into it, but after the first six or seven minutes they adapted to the play.

“They played it well and the score was on the scoreboard.

“I think both teams had tired legs with it being the first game of the season, and both teams left chances.

“A tight game was a very fair result. I think Coventry played well and we played excellently.”

Next weekend sees Telford travel to Trafford Metros on Saturday evening, with their next home game against Whitley Warriors on September 17.

By James Shaw