#ifindoubt

Guildford’s Team Captain, Pat Dennis stated that the first half of the 2013/2014 season was really difficult. It was the first time in years that there were only 6 main players due to injuries, previous players relocating around the country, and the level of play around the country had risen to an all time high.

When asked what needed to be improved, Pat replied “Defending!” It is well known that Guildford’s defending has never been a strong point but this season other teams were exploiting the lack in defence to gain the victory. Pat went on to say “Our shooting has always been consistent and this continued, but with the holes in the defence we were not able to gain leads. This is our main area to focus for the next season.”

The next area discussed was highlights from the season. With excellent Tchoukball being played by all teams it made every game competitive and exciting to watch. Pat instantly said that the semi-final for the Andrews Cup seems to be the main highlight for the team. “That semi-final was truly incredible. Leeds Cosmos found some gaping holes in our defence and took advantage of this. I really thought they would beat us. I don’t know what happened but in the third period something clicked and the whole team picked it up a level to bring the game back to even.”

Pat went on to explain that his main highlight wasn’t the team’s performance, but actually the final shot. “The last shot from Mack was the main highlight for me. Mack has improved year upon year as a player and to take all the pressure of the last shot, in the last few seconds no doubt, and score was something a lot of players have fallen victim to in the past.”

Next Pat covered what Guildford’s plans are in the next season and what he hopes to achieve. “Having looked back we know our main weakness is our defending, so that is the first area we’re going to look at. We’ve looked into at getting a defending coach to help the team and this is something we feel is needed. We’re also looking at bringing in some ‘new blood’ to help make the team whole as although playing with 6 players is fun, with the level of tchoukball in the UK constantly improving, additional players will help greatly.”

As for goals for the upcoming season, Pat referred to a previous comment from Louisa Fountain, “We've competed twice at EWC and grossly under-performed each time, it'd be nice to take this seasons confidence and go on to qualify for EWC in 2016.”

It looks like Guildford are really taking on-board what needs to be done and have set their goals high for the next season. In order to qualify for EWC they will need to finish National League either first or second. They’ve done it before, will they do it again?

To keep up-to-date with Guildford Inferno and how they progress through the season, follow them on Twitter @InfernoGTC.