Sheffield Steeldogs coach Greg Wood hails remarkable effort to stay close to leading pack

GREG WOOD believes the fact his Sheffield Steeldogs team are still within touching distance of the NIHL National top three is a remarkable achievement, considering the odds they have had to overcome.
By Phil Harrison
Published 7th Jan 2023, 07:05 BST

Ahead of this weekend’s road trips to third-placed Peterborough Phantoms and rock-bottom Bees IHC, the Steeldogs sit fourth in the overall standings, nine points off tonight’s hosts.

The fact they remain in with an outside chance of the regular season title is all the more impressive given they have been missing veteran forward Jason Hewitt for most of the campaign, with other key forwards like Lee Bonner and Alex Graham restricted through injury and unavailability respectively.

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James Spurr is to undergo surgery and unlikely to figure until the play-offs come around in mid-April. It is hoped Hewitt, meanwhile, will be ready to return to action in time for the first leg of the Steeldogs’ NIHL Cup semi-final at home to Leeds Knights on September 20.

TOP EFFORT: Greg Wood is delighted with the efforts from his under-strength Sheffield Steeldogs team. Picture: Bruce RollinsonTOP EFFORT: Greg Wood is delighted with the efforts from his under-strength Sheffield Steeldogs team. Picture: Bruce Rollinson
TOP EFFORT: Greg Wood is delighted with the efforts from his under-strength Sheffield Steeldogs team. Picture: Bruce Rollinson

“Given the circumstances that we’ve found ourselves in over the last three months or so, I think where we are in the table is pretty remarkable actually,” said Wood.

“If you take four of your top forwards out of any other team, for an extended period of time, they are going to struggle.

“If you look at our results they haven’t really suffered too much. I think there are just six games where we haven’t picked up any points out of 29 or so games. That’s incredible really and testament to the depth of the squad.

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“When guys have been out, other guys have stepped in and we’ve kept on winning and that’s the biggest compliment you can pay the team we’ve got.”

Hull Seahawks also hit the road on Saturday, looking to halt a four-game losing streak when they take on second-placed Milton Keynes Lightning.

Matty Davies’s team emerged from the festive period with nothing to show for their efforts after two losses to both the Steeldogs and Leeds.

The losing streak – which has followed a four-game winning streak in the build-up to Christmas – has left the Seahawks eight points off the eighth and final play-off spot with 24 games of the regular season remaining.

There’s little sign of any let-up for Hull on Sunday when they play host to Peterborough.

Related topics:Jason HewittPeterborough PhantomsLeeds Knights