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Don't look for excuses says captain
JONATHAN Phillips will lead his Steelers troops into a new season's battle on Saturday insisting there will be no excuses given if the result goes against them.
The Sheffield club has been engulfed in financial problems throughout the Summer and will have had no competitive pre-season games under their belts when they share the Arena ice with Cardiff Devils.
But club captain Phillips said: "Every player must have his mind just on hockey and the need to start off in winning ways.
"None of us wanted to get too involved in what happened in the Summer, we just wanted reassuring that things would be alright and at this moment that seems to be the case."
Cardiff have already played,losing 4-2 to Coventry Blaze last Saturday and tomorrow play the same team again, so will be ahead of the game in terms of match-fitness.
But Phillips, an ex-Cardiff winger, said: "It would have been great to have had a couple of warm-up games, just enough to get a feel for the new lines and get our lungs going.
"For obvious reasons it's not happened. Cardiff are always a high tempo team and like to come at you from the first puck drop.
"We might be a bit sluggish, but you never know. Sometimes you play your best games when you are thrown into circumstances like this.
Phillips says the squad has much to prove after last season's fifth place finish.
"We didn't do ourselves justice. We had a slow start and whatever we tried to do we just seemed to fall deeper into a hole.
"At the end of the season there were players, including me, playing without any confidence.
"We battled hard but couldn't get a result. Things just snowballed. But this is a news season and time to put things right."
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Weather for Sheffield
Friday 10 February 2012
Today
Fog
Temperature: -6 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: -2 C to -1 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South west
