TCS Chester Jets must hit the ground running when they take on Sheffield Sharks in the BBL Trophy at the Northgate Arena tonight (7.30).

Head coach Paul Smith wants his team to kick the habit of starting games sluggishly as they bid to keep alive their hopes of retaining the Trophy.

He said: 'We have been flat at the start of recent games and that has to be sorted out.'

If Sheffield win - they have won their last five games - they will be in a strong position to go through, having beaten the Jets already in the group opener, but Jets came out on top in the league clash. Both games went into overtime, confirming how closely-matched the teams are.

Chester stayed in contention for a fifth successive Trophy triumph when they won at Leicester Riders last Saturday in the second group game without skipper Calvin Davis who has had a successful cartilage operation. He is expected to be out of action for another fortnight.

Smith, the BBL coach of the month for October, persuaded Delme Herriman to return to cover for Davis just a fortnight after he was released to pursue business interests.

'Delme played well last weekend,' he added. 'He hadn't been playing since he left us, so he needs to blow the cobwebs away.'

Jets are back on the road tomorrow when they travel to Solihull Sports Centre to meet Birmingham Bullets in the league.

Said Smith: 'We played them in a pre-season friendly, but they have made some changes since then. It will be a tough test for us.

'We are not clicking offensively. We have shown our potential in spells, but we aren't quite there yet. .'