OUR last league game of 2014 ended in an 8-2 win at Whitley Warriors on Sunday.

It wasn’t quite what you’d call signing off the year in style - we didn’t turn up in the first period and trailed 1-0. But after a few stern words from myself and player-coach Jared Owen we sorted ourselves out and worked our way to a comfortable win in the end.

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It’s been a good year for us. We’ve never been top at Christmas before and to be seven points clear of Solway Sharks in second at this stage is encouraging. But there’s still a long way to go in the season.

We have a comfortable gap at the top but and it only takes a couple of bad games to lose that so we know we have to stick with our philosophy of going from one game to the next and not get too ahead of ourselves.

Sunday was a bit of a warning. We weren’t at it at all in the first period. I wouldn’t say it was down to complacency, it’s more likely it was a knock-on effect of the disappointment we felt in not managing a win over EPL side Sheffield Steeldogs in the cup the night before.

We’ve always said we never really expected to win games against the EPL teams but we were leading at one stage and looked capable. They were there for the taking.

A couple of silly mistakes and silly penalties allowed them back in it though, and they scored on the power play.

We’ve got a second chance against them this Sunday, although at their place it will not be easy.

Still, we were able to bounce back eventually in the league and maintain our unbeaten status in the league.

Whitley Warriors took the lead in the fifth minute - a lucky goal but a goal nevertheless and one we weren’t able to respond to for the remainder of in the first period. That was disappointing, and I must admit I lost it a little bit at the break. Jared gave us a verbal kick as well, and we responded We got the equaliser 18 seconds after the re-start through Jared, then within a minute Luke Brittle put us in front. Whitley equalised but Luke soon restored the lead, then combined well with his brother, Adam, to set up Jared for the chance for his second and the team’s fourth before the end of the second period.

There were four more goals in the third, including two from me, with Aaron Davies and Jordan Bannon also chipping in to complete a set of six unanswered goals. It was more like us, and reassuring to be so convincing against a side who were our bogey team last year.