Telford Tigers urged to continue improving by Tom Watkins after double-header victory
Tom Watkins wants his Telford Tigers players to keep improving standards, after they followed up their EPL title win with a 4-2 success over Bracknell Bees on Sunday night.
The county men sealed their second championship in three years when they beat the Bees on Saturday, following Milton Keynes' surprise defeat to Swindon Wildcats.
Just 24 hours later, victory in Berkshire continued an 11-game winning streak that stretches back to the middle of January – and Watkins is keen to retain the momentum of that run.
He said: "We've won the title, but we can't just sit on that. We're still playing league games and there is a huge play-off series to come at the end of the season.
"We've got to maintain and improve standards. I would like to see us playing with a little bit more in certain areas, but that's for me to address and pick up on.
"We'll work with the guys over the next few weeks and use our bench a little bit more. It will be up to those players to respond and make the most of the opportunities."
Telford got off to the best possible start on Sunday with a goal from Corey McEwen after just a minute of the first period.
McEwen added a second at the five-minute-mark, as the visitors stamped their authority on proceedings.
Doug Clarkson was on target for the Tigers at the halfway point of the session, to give his side a comfortable 3-0 cushion.
But Bracknell ended the period with better momentum, after their first goal of the game on 16 minutes.
The second period was a largely quieter affair, albeit with the Bees having the better of the scoring chances.
It was Telford who extended their lead on 39 minutes, however, thanks to a fine breakaway strike from McEwen.
The third period was a similar story, although Bracknell added to their tally with a goal just before the final buzzer.
Watkins added: "I'm pleased we managed to keep the winning streak going tonight, as that is very important. We weren't great, although it was good to see Corey get his hat-trick.
"We need different guys scoring and for our depth players to have an influence in games. It has been a big weekend for everyone, and I'm pleased with the points."
The Tigers' next home game is against Hull Pirates at Telford Ice Rink on Sunday night (6pm). Go to www.tigershockeyuk.com for tickets.
