WE ended the year on a high in the league, now we have to start 2015 in the same manner.

If we can repeat the first half of the season in the second then there will be nothing to stop us from finishing top. But we haven’t looked beyond our next game all season, and we aren’t going to start now.

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Whenever a team is on an unbeaten run every team you play wants to be the one to end it. But we’re just as determined to keep going.

Personally, I’m not feeling any weight of our expectation. I don’t know about the rest of the lads, but for me we deserve to be where we are and we are enjoying it. But we know we have to keep working hard, and that’s what we intend to do.

Sheffield Spartans are up next, at home on Sunday (face-off 5.45pm).

We played the city’s EPL team, the Steeldogs, in the cup at the weekend and - as expected against elite opposition - we were beaten, although I think the 7-1 scoreline flattered them.

Probably half of the team played with illness while the rest had over-indulged over Christmas and were feeling the effects, so it wasn’t the best game, but it was good to blow the rust off after the festivities, and get ready for another important league match.

There were pleasing aspects, such as a scoreless second period. We played well in patches, but we had a lot of chances and we didn’t take them.

Jordan Bannon got our only goal, and he’s arguably suffered the most with a chest infection. It’s impossible in a dressing room environment not to pass germs around so we’ve all had our fair share. It takes it out of you, but hopefully we’ll all be fully fit to take on the Spartans.

We’ve got a pretty busy schedule coming up, with the last cup game against Peterborough Phantoms on January 18. Then we’re just concentrating on the league, and putting all our efforts into winning it.

We had the euphoria of winning the play-offs a couple of seasons ago, now we want to go one better and we believe we can. Our squad - the best squad I’ve been involved with - is full of confidence. But we will not get complacent.

Our player-coach, Jared Owen, wouldn’t allow it.

He’s happy with how we are playing but we all know that we have to at least maintain our level of performances.