Play-off hopes take a tumble as Telford Tigers lose
Head coach Tom Watkins admitted his Telford Tigers side were out-worked in their disappointing 7-2 defeat at play-off rivals Swindon Wildcats.
Saturday night's loss in Wiltshire was Telford's second in a row, after they were beaten by Manchester Phoenix the previous weekend.
But results elsewhere mean the Tigers are still well-placed to secure a spot in the top eight over the next few weeks.
A run of nine wins in 11 games has seen the county men establish themselves as dark horses for the play-off title.
But Watkins believes his side failed to match Swindon's commitment in the weekend defeat.
He said: "If we don't play with our usual work ethic, then other teams can turn us over.
"The big thing for me is that Swindon had a lot of commitment throughout the game. For example, their imports were blocking shots right at the end of the second period.
"They played with a lot of energy and really put us on the back foot. We just didn't take our chances and played nowhere near our usual level."
The evening started badly for Telford, as Swindon's Aaron Nell struck twice inside a minute during the first period.
Nathan Salem halved the deficit moments later, but a second period salvo from Swindon's Aku Pekkarinen and Henri Sandvik gave the hosts a three-goal cushion.
The Tigers again hit back at the halfway point of the game through Jaroslav Kruzic, but Ryan Watt restored his side's advantage ahead of the break.
Any hope of a comeback from the visitors was soon extinguished as Jan Kostal and Sam Smith secured the points for Swindon in the final 20 minutes.
Telford did, in fact, create a number of chances to close on the hosts throughout, but were unable to capitalise on that brief momentum.
"We made some uncharacteristic mistakes, which cost us a couple of key goals," Watkins added.
"At the same time, we also created some good opportunities to score, but didn't bury them. When you give up chances on the power play, then it is hard to grab the momentum."
Watkins must now ensure his squad regroups and prepares for games against Sheffield Steeldogs and Bracknell Bees this weekend.
He added: "There is no lack of belief and the team is confident they can turn it around.
"We'll come in to practice, work hard and talk about the game as a group.
"We've got a great team of professional guys and they won't let one defeat spoil the season."
