Tom Watkins happy to see his Telford young guns shine

The Telford boss took advantage of an early 5-0 lead to offer youngsters Corey Goodison, Joe Aston and Brodie Jesson extended ice time in Blackpool.

There was also a chance for 17-year-old Adams Grammar School pupil Ted Thompson to take over from netminder Sam Gospel late in the final session.

Confidence

Watkins said: "The guys enjoyed the game and it was nice to get the two points on the road, as that is always important.

"It was also good to see that we could give some extended ice time to some of our young lads.

"It was good for Brodie to get out there and learn. That always breeds confidence and makes him feel part of the group.

"Corey was excellent for us and had some great stats in defence. That is important to see as a coach. It was great to see him get on the scoresheet as well. He made some smart plays and scored with a superb toe pick."

Warren Tait, Jason Silverthorn and Adam Taylor were all on target in the opening 12 minutes before Lubomir Korhon and Adam Jones struck ahead of the first interval.

The middle session saw Telford double that advantage thanks to three goals from Doug Clarkson, and strikes from Goodison and Rick Plant

Manchester scored their only goal of the game in that period, courtesy of James Neil, as Telford now head into a 10-day break before their next game on January 7.

Watkins added: "It is really important that you play with good habits.

"It is easy to start overplaying and I don't think we did that.

"Coming out injury-free was good and we have another week off now, which is a good opportunity for the guys.

"It was nice to see everybody together, happy and looking fresh and keen to play.

"We have a good group, good spirit, so they'll have a few more days, then start preparing for the Milton Keynes game."

Telford's next home game is on January 8 when they play Swindon Wildcats (6pm).

Go to www.tigershockeyuk.com for tickets.