Singh: We have mental strength to beat drop

Posted: Monday 16th February 2009 | 19:11

HAMPSTEAD coach Soma Singh insists his side have the mental strength to beat the Premier Division drop after beating fellow strugglers Bowdon 4-1 this weekend.

The London side conceded three goals in four minutes to lose 4-3 against second-bottom Havant last weekend.

But Singh's men bounced straight back to cruise past Bowdon thanks to David Eakins' sixth and seventh goals of the season.

And Singh believes such resilience is the key as Hampstead, who are just five points clear of bottom club Southgate, look to retain their status at England Hockey's top table.

"I was delighted with the way the guys bounced back this week because the lads were very low at the end of last week's game," said Singh, who is in his second spell as coach at Hampstead.

"I have never seen anything like last week. To concede three goals in four minutes was something I just haven't seen in my entire hockey career.

"The guys were really disappointed so the way they picked themselves up and got the win this week was absolutely fantastic.

"They showed exactly the strength of character we'll need to keep winning and stay away from the relegation zone.

"There was a five minute spell in the game when they made it 3-1 where we had a bit of a wobble but the lads stayed strong and got another goal which settled our nerves."

Josh Smith set the ball rolling for Hampstead with a reverse stick goal in the seventh minute before Eakins made it two a minute after the break.

Jono Holt's second of the season extended the lead before Gavin Phillips reduced the deficit to 3-1.

Eakins grabbed his second double in as many games late on as the home side sealed the points.

Hampstead have tough fixtures against high-fliers Surbiton and East Grinstead in their next two games before two relegation six-pointers against Loughborough Students and Southgate.

And Singh admits he will have more than one eye on March's relegation showdowns when they take on fourth-placed Surbiton next weekend.

"We have got a tough couple of games coming up against Surbiton and East Grinstead which will be very difficult," said Singh.

"We are really targeting the two following games against Loughborough and Southgate as we look to get ourselves away from the bottom half of the league.

"Those games are the ones we have to be winning so I was delighted to bounce back with a win this week because it gives us real confidence."

Elsewhere, Reading's bid to retain their title received a boost as leaders Cannock could only draw 4-4 with Surbiton, while the defending champions made light work of Havant winning 3-0, closing the gap at the top to two points.

Southgate's problems at the bottom continued after they lost 4-2 at Surbiton and suffered an 8-1 drubbing on their own patch at the hands of East Grinstead.

But East Grinstead lost ground on the leaders in their second match of the weekend as despite a late Glenn Kirkham strike they went down 3-2 at home to Beeston.

TOM REYNOLDS