Improve or face the sack, Steelers warned

Last weekend's double defeat and a single (overtime) point from their away matches signalled a showdown in the dressing room at Newcastle Vipers.

Behind closed doors, coach Dave Matsos is believed to have told his players that losses in the North-east and, 24 hours earlier, in Basingstoke were "unacceptable".

He nailed home the message that there would always be pressure to win games at Sheffield, and if skaters could not handle that and deliver points then roster changes would be made.

Matsos is not a man to publicly criticise his players.

But it is clear that he has privately drummed home that present results, particularly on the road, are not good enough and that, unless they find consistency, changes will be inevitable.

Fourth-placed Sheffield have lost also at Coventry and Edinburgh this season.

Last weekend, import players like Jody Lehman, Ryan Finnerty and Ian Manzano were all below par, while British forwards Ashley and Warren Tait and Jason Hewitt were deemed relatively blameless.

Before the last two matches, Lehman had been the club's best player, and Matsos will be praying his 11-goal anguish (6-3 and 5-4) was merely a blip in form.

Next weekend, Sheffield will have injured Jeff Legue back in the forward line at Edinburgh on Saturday

They hope Jeremy Cornish will also have overcome a troublesome, but unidentified, injury.