Systems more important for Simon

SHEFFIELD STEELERS player-coach Ben Simon says he is not concerned over the club's lack of pre-season exhibition matches.

The Steelers currently only have the annual 20/20 HockeyFest tournament in place as a warm-up before their Elite League 2010-11 season-opener against newcomers Dundee Stars on September 4.

Simon, who is due to arrive in Sheffield on August 16, has spent the past week successfully convincing Steelers' players to return for the new campaign, despite their concerns following a summer of unrest off the ice that has thrown the club into turmoil.

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Last season's management team resigned in protest over owner Bob Phillips, who subsequently put the club up for sale before withdrawing it from the market a week or so later having received no "realistic" offers.

That followed the liquidation in April of Steelers' operating company, Yorkshire Sport (YS).

With Phillips stepping down to fight legal action related to the liquidation of another ice hockey company five years ago, his wife Maraini has taken control at the club and is working closely with Simon in order to be ready for the opening weekend.

The Steelers normally have a number of warm-up games ahead of the league campaign but it's unlikely that will be the case this year, with the 20/20 HockeyFest, at Sheffield Arena on Monday, August 30, possibly the only chance Simon's players will get for a competitive workout.

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"It would be nice to have a couple of exhbition games before we face Dundee, but it's not at the top of my list of prioritites at the moment," said Simon, who revealed on Thursday he is likely to start the new season a man light on his roster.

"I'm more worried about getting our systems in place and getting everybody on the right page so that we don't look like some kind of circus act when we play our first game."

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