Cheshire Jets: Paul Smith not expecting an easy ride from Mersey Tigers in double-derby weekend

Jan 20 2011 by Alec Doyle, Chester Chronicle

THE race for the BBL Championship reaches a pivotal stage this weekend as Cheshire Jets take on rivals Mersey Tigers twice in a mouthwatering double-header.

Second-placed Jets make the short trip to the Echo Arena in Liverpool tomorrow (7.30pm) before the Tigers make the return journey to the Northgate Arena this Sunday (5.30pm).

Head coach Paul Smith is taking nothing for granted and reckons he has put together a gameplan which can deliver two wins for the Jets – and knock the Tigers off the BBL summit.

But Smith is expecting a backlash after the Tigers were annihilated by Sheffield Sharks in Sunday’s BBL Cup final.

The Jets boss said: “We’ve studied the BBL Cup final but we already have our gameplan.

“We know what they like to do, we know who we’ve got to stop and it’s just a question of doing it on the day.

“A lot of people have asked me whether the Tigers are demoralised after two defeats on the bounce, whether they will be up for the challenge.

“The way I see it it’s top versus second, a local derby. There’s enough there to get up for the game, regardless of what’s gone on before.

“It is the biggest weekend of the regular season and this is a great opportunity for us.”

Smith, who won the BBL title with the Jets in 2005, added: “We have to apply ourselves and do all we can to beat the Tigers. The head-to-heads against the top teams really do count when it comes to the end of the season and we’ve got probably six games until Matt (Schneck) comes back.

“Then we’ll be very confident so we have to get through these six games with as many wins as possible and give ourselves a good run-in to the end of the season.”

The Tigers struggled last Sunday as they were overrun. GB international Drew Sullivan and Tigers coach Tony Garbelotto proved unable to lift their players and, by the end, the only fight left in them came from former Jets player Jamal Williams and David Aliu.

One potential drawback for the Jets is the fact they had no fixtures last weekend, but Smith believes the break will not have an adverse effect on his players.

He said: “We were a bit sluggish the first week back after the Christmas break so we did a lot of running last week and the fitness has gone back up and we’ve done a lot on execution so the sharpness should be there.

“But nothing beats getting out there and playing and they’ll all be looking forward to that come tomorrow.”

For more Jets news, including ticket information, see page 84.