Sheffield Steelers put their faith in Mark Matheson to hold the fort until a replacement for Paul Thompson is found

Steelers now have four serious contenders to replace Paul Thompson as head coach in Sheffield.
Coventry Blaze v Sheffield Steelers, October 2012. Tom Sestito, left, fights Coventry's Benn Olson. Picture: Mark TredgoldCoventry Blaze v Sheffield Steelers, October 2012. Tom Sestito, left, fights Coventry's Benn Olson. Picture: Mark Tredgold
Coventry Blaze v Sheffield Steelers, October 2012. Tom Sestito, left, fights Coventry's Benn Olson. Picture: Mark Tredgold

But the door remains open to other candidates to come forward - and that goes for players, too.

Thompson, despite resigning, has continued to help the club by trying to persuade an ongonig player-target to overlook his absence and accept an offer of employment at the House of Steel.

Mark MathesonMark Matheson
Mark Matheson
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But that is now looking like a long-shot, with the player looking elsewhere.

As The Star revealed yesterday, a 'caretaker' coach, initially contracted for the rest of the season only, seems a likely option for the vacant chair.

One man to put his name forward, apparently, is Tom Sestito.

He played in the NHL for Columbus Blue Jackets, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Vancouver Canucks.

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More pertinently, he played 11 games for Steelers during the 2012-13 NHL "lock out."

But Steelers need more than just a pedigree player, they need someone with experience. There are few available people in the British scene fitting that description, so the scope is being trained on north America and Europe.

Steelers say they have some "very interesting candidates" but said they also had complete trust in player-assistant coach Mark Matheson who has been in charge of the team since Thompson's decision to step down.

As for new incoming players, a spokesman said: "We are open to any players who will make us a better club."