MAMA MIA!! Eagles Expect 4,000 plus for Worcester Tie
Wednesday, 20th January, 2010
The Eagles finally return to the Newcastle Arena for the first time in 2010 after a seven week spell of away games, only to face a revitalised Worcester Wolves team, under the leadership of new head coach Paul James.
The Wolves will be trying to notch a win over the side that have beaten them in ten of the twelve fixtures between the teams in BBL history. The last time the Wolves overcame the Eagles was at Worcester University back in February last year, where they sneaked a one point 87-86 win over Fabulous Flournoy's side.
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The Wolves came up just inches short last weekend, when they faced Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders in a tight encounter in Worcester. Although Americans Rod Middleton and Danny Gilbert were outstanding, with 26 points and 20 points respectively, the Riders prevailed, as new signing Duane James notched the game winning points from the free throw line with just 57 seconds left, and the Riders managed to pressure Middleton enough that he could not get a shot off in the dying seconds. James led the Riders with 22 points to his name, and Wolves boss Paul James had no doubt that the loss was tough to swallow for his players, but emphasised the fact that the Wolves only two defeats under his leadership have been lost by a cumulative total of just two points:
'I'm very happy with where we are at present' he said: 'We have won two and lost two and the two games we have lost have been by a total margin of two points, I can't ask for much more than that. The main thing is that we have competed and although we lost those close games, we gave ourselves a chance to win and that's all I can expect my team to do. Some we will win and some we will lose, but it makes for great spectator viewing!'
The Eagles also go into the game on the back of a loss, as they went down 105-99 to Worthing Thunder last weekend, on Saturday evening. Despite being known for his perfectionist approach, player-coach Fabulous Flournoy, drew some positives from the game: 'Offensively against Worthing we were excellent. Defensively we were slow to react and failed to make the plays we needed to make. The game is played on both ends and we have to do a better job making defensive adjustments' he said.
On Worcester, Flournoy added: 'Worcester are a new group with a seven strong rotation and two scoring threats at the guard position. The match ups are pretty clear and it will come down to who plays the best within them. PJ (Paul James) is a veteran coach who knows how to win, and I have the utmost respect for him.'
