THEY had the edge in the previous men’s Premier League Hockey Bathurst derby but Souths are approaching this Saturday’s match against Pat’s with added caution.
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That’s because it’s the first time Souths will face their Bathurst rivals with Niel Howard at the helm of the Saints, making for a different Pat’s approach to attack.
Souths are hoping to double up in their success over Pat’s this season.
Their previous contest saw Souths come away 4-1 winners while in their first meeting of the year the derby finishing in a draw for the first time in a decade.
To replicate the success of the previous derby Souths coach Ray Winwood-Smith said all his players need to pay strict attention to the Saints’ positioning around the field.
“They’ve gone through a transformation since Niel Howard has come on board. They’re playing a different structure and you can see that,” he said.
“They’re improving every week as they come to grips with that and they’ll be playing a different style from what we’ve seen before.
“Because of that that makes them very dangerous. There’s an unknown factor about them. It’s the derby so everyone will be giving it that extra bit of energy to try and win it.
“Pat’s are a team that you can never take lightly, no matter what the score was last week or the week before that.”
Souths head into Saturday with the competition lead but a win for Pat’s would bring the Saints back within two points, and likely hand first place to Lithgow Panthers.
There’s an unknown factor about them. It’s the derby so everyone will be giving it that extra bit of energy to try and win it.
- Ray Winwood-Smith
Winwood-Smith and his men are expecting a fired up Pat’s side aiming to hit back from a shock loss to Lithgow Zig Zag last round.
Souths themselves had their shaky moments last week before overcoming Orange Wanderers.
The Souths mentor said such inconsistency could cost the team in the derby.
“There’s only four games to go before finals so getting momentum is important,” he said.
“Derbies always have a lot of intensity about them. We’re looking at where we need to be for the finals series and this game is another step towards that.
“We still have some niggling injuries but Jye Bunt will come back into the team, which is great. Daniel Carter is still nursing some injuries and we’re monitoring him to see how he goes.
“There’s a couple of other guys who didn’t train for similar reasons and that does create disruption, because you’re trying to get consistency. Everyone knows their role but it’s about getting everyone in the same place all the time so they can build on it.”
