Will Steelers season be deemed a failure if they fail to win trophy?

Always the bridesmaids, never the bride?

Well not since 2015-16, anyway.

Sunday's defeat at Guildford Flames - a match against a sixth-place team in which they failed to win a single period - consigned them to a position where miracles are now required.

Their 20th loss of the domestic season seemingly put the final nail in their league coffin.

A new imperative most likely comes into play now - securing the second spot in the league so as to ensure they face the seventh-placed occupants in the Play Offs.

And, of course, lifting the Challenge Cup on Sunday.

For the time being though, Aaron Fox's team remains top of the regular EIHL pile, with six games left.

The problem they face is two-fold: Cardiff Devils in second spot have three games in hand and trail by a single point...and just as importantly Sheffield's form has become unpredictable again.

Few title-winning teams lose five out of eight matches in the all-important run-in.

It is a time for strength and stability not weakness and inconsistency.

True, if Sheffield win in Cardiff in Friday's clash, they will be three points clear of their rivals.

But Devils will still have the luxury of those games in hand.

The Welsh have had some issues this year, but in their last eight games they have won six times, so their current level of consistency is superior.

In some senses Steelers have been in a false position at the pinnacle of the division - as Devils' win-per-game percentage has been better throughout, their progress slowed, perhaps, by their early Champions League fixture responsibilities.

So if, as it now seems more than likely, Sheffield fail to win the regular season trophy, will the entire campaign be deemed as a failure?

Well, yes and no.

Yes, as it was the stated aim to become champions for the first time since Tyler Mosienko, Mathieu Roy, Jeff Legue and Rod Sarich played for the team in 2016.

No, when you consider the fact that Steelers were a seventh-placed team last year.

The team formed by Paul Thompson and inherited by Tom Barrasso lost every other game they played in!

This year, Steelers have collated 63 points from 48 games, compared to the Thompson-Barrasso campaign of one point more from 60 matches.

Summer root and branch surgery was prescribed and carried out in recruitment terms, but it is not often that quick-fixes happen in professional sport.

This year's team has unquestionable talent, particularly offensively.

But does a question mark hover over leadership?

Are there enough genuine leaders spread across the lines?

We are just about to find out...