East Grinstead looking for revenge in Euro Hockey League

EAST Grinstead boss Matt Jones is confident his side can get revenge over Amsterdam H&BC as the teams face each other again in the Euro Hockey League this weekend in Rotterdam.

RENEWED RIVALRY: East Grinstead take on Amsterdam H&BC in the Euro Hockey League hoping to erase the memory of a 2-1 group stage defeat by the Dutch side (Ady Kerry)

The Dutch side defeated East Grinstead 2-1 when they met in the group stages of the competition in Paris last October after the Sussex side had overcome Polish debutants KS AZS Awt Poznan 4-1 in their opening game.

The sides will now line up against each other in the final 16 as they look to secure a place in this weekend's semi finals in the Netherlands.

But Jones believes his side's recent run of good form, which saw them finish second in the English Hockey League and put them into the play-offs, will stand them in good stead for their game on Good Friday.

"The European league is the pinnacle of club hockey at the moment and it's where all the top European players compete," said Jones.

"We have done fabulously well to have got this far along with Beeston and Reading representing the best of British hockey.

"We had to play Amsterdam in the group stages and although we lost we should have come away with a victory in Paris if we had taken our chances.

"So I'm extremely confident that we can put out a good performance and get a good result this time around.

"We've got to focus firstly on doing well in Europe so we can take that confidence boost into the play-off against Surbiton in a few weeks' time."

East Grinstead have already secured their place in the European indoor competition for next season after defending their national indoor title against Nottingham in January.

And with a number of experienced players in his side including South African defender Gareth Carr and forward Ben Payne, Jones believes his players perform best under the pressure of the big games.

"The players really thrive under these conditions when there are big crowds and cameras pointed at you from all angles," he added.

"We are lucky because we've experienced a lot of games of this stature and the players are used to it now.

"They love playing in these types of games and I'm confident everyone will see the best of them and hopefully the profile of the sport can be raised in this country if the English sides can do well in Europe."

Meanwhile, Beeston will face Belgian side KHC Leuvan while Reading take on RC de Polo de Barcelona as the other English sides trying to make the quarter-final stage.