Bradford Bulldogs' Andy Brown backing GB Under-18s for World Championship success

BRADFORD BULLDOGS’ head coach Andy Brown says Great Britain Under-18s need to establish a winning mentality from the very start at this year’s World Championships.
Phil Harrison
By Phil Harrison
Published 8th Apr 2023, 06:35 BST

Brown is out in Belgrade, Serbia, for the Division 2A tournament as one of two assistants to head coach Sean Easton, with GB getting their campaign underway on Sunday against Romania.

Gold medal promotion is the obvious target and Brown, 45, believes they have the players capable of securing Division One hockey for 2024, having whittled down an initial 80 triallists to a 22-strong squad.

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Leeds Knights’ two-way forward Fin Bradon and Hull Seahawks’ Owen Bruton - both of who have impressed in NIHL National this season - are on the roster.

GB Under-18s take on Romania in a warm-up game in Slovakia. Picture courtesy of Ice Hockey UK.GB Under-18s take on Romania in a warm-up game in Slovakia. Picture courtesy of Ice Hockey UK.
GB Under-18s take on Romania in a warm-up game in Slovakia. Picture courtesy of Ice Hockey UK.

Last year, GB came away with a bronze medal, losing out on gold by a single point and having lost only one of their five games.

“If you lose just one game, you might even not get a medal,” said Brown. “That’s how tight these tournaments are.

“So you have to go out there with the mentality that you have to win every game, sometimes you need a little bit of luck and special teams is always huge.

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“The only way of guaranteeing winning gold and gaining promotion is to win every single game in regulation and that’s not easy.

NEW CHALLENGE: Andy Brown, who oversees both senior hockey and several junior teams at Bradford Bulldogs, is confident GB Under-18s can enjoy a successful World Championships in Belgrade over the coming week.NEW CHALLENGE: Andy Brown, who oversees both senior hockey and several junior teams at Bradford Bulldogs, is confident GB Under-18s can enjoy a successful World Championships in Belgrade over the coming week.
NEW CHALLENGE: Andy Brown, who oversees both senior hockey and several junior teams at Bradford Bulldogs, is confident GB Under-18s can enjoy a successful World Championships in Belgrade over the coming week.

“If you’re winning in OT or you’re losing games, there’s every chance you’re going to come home disappointed.”

Brown said GB - who lost 4-1 to Romania in their final warm-up game in Slovakia on Thursday night.- were heading to Belgrade with a talented group.

“It’s always difficult at World Championships and we know it’s going to be tough,” added Brown. “There’s a limited amount of information available about the teams you are going to play against and you don’t really know until you turn up - so you go into your first game pretty cold.

“But there is a lot of depth in the team this year. It’s strong across four lines and if they buy into the systems that we’re going to ask them to play, I believe we can do well.”

Related topics:Under-18sGreat BritainBelgrade