TCS CHESTER Jets face their biggest test of the season tonight as they bid to hold on to the leadership of the BBL.
They go into the game against Scottish Rocks at the Northgate Arena (7.30pm) on the back of successive defeats at second-placed Newcastle Eagles on Thursday last week and at home to London Towers on Sunday.
A once-comfortable lead has been eroded to just two points and with Newcastle playing bottom club Birmingham at home tonight, a Chester victory is imperative.
Head coach Paul Smith admitted: 'We were very disappointed with the way we played against London, but we have talked about it, watched the video and realised we made too many individual mistakes, as well as allowing our defensive intensity to slacken off.
'If we carry on like this, we won't deserve to win a game, let alone the title. I have not been in a position like this as a coach, so it is a new experience for me, but I always enjoy learning.
'I think we are suffering from some tension with being at the top. It is very frustrating because we have let a good position slip.'
Smith believes London and Newcastle are currently the best teams in the league and they meet at Crystal Palace tomorrow, while Jets make the long trip to Brighton hoping to repeat their victory there last month.
Steve Swanson, coach of Scottish Rocks who lost at Thames Valley on Wednesday, doesn't want to be tempted into a false sense of security by Chester's lapse in form.
He said: 'The perception is that when teams are on a roll, you don't want to play them. But at the same time, when they've lost you still don't want to play them because they will be really mad.
'I suppose this could be a good time to play them because they aren't up to the level of form they'd like to be, but they will be really focused having had a week to prepare for us.'
