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Lightning need a spark
MK Lightning’s season is disintegrating with a double home defect last weekend followed by a dismal away reversal in Sheffield on Wednesday night.
Going down to champions elect Manchester and play-off quarter-final opponents Basingstoke Bison was a bitter pill to swallow for supporters who were watching their own team hoist the league trophy a year ago.
And there was more frustration to come with the midweek upset at the hands of Andre Payette’s chargers.
Following the triple set-back Nick Poole’s man have only six wins from their last 13 games, all of which have come against sides below them in the EPL standings.
You have to look back in the archive until late February for their last victory against one of the top four - a narrow win over Bison.
All this is a far cry from the turn of the year when Blaz Emersic’s arrival, coupled with seven straight wins, had sparked dreams of a successful title defence.
Saturday promised so much with MK putting up one of their best showings of the season against the Phoenix, before being edged out by the odd goal in 11.
It was brilliant entertainment - in stark contrast with the limp display the following evening when Lightning were humbled 6-3. A 4-3 defect in Sheffield on Wednesday night week almost defies belief.
MK message boards have lit up with views about the recent slack form.
Some point to the absence of whichever of the five imports misses a particular match.
Andre Smulter, who sat out both games at the weekend, is the latest would-be saviour. This is despite question marks over his recent form.
Others are blaming the lack of a sixth blue-liner, with Adam Radmall not retained from last year’s championship winning sextet.
This has undoubtedly led to an extra burden on Leigh Jamieson and Lukas Zatopek, who have been sharing the additional duties on the third line all year.
The Long-term absence of the talismanic Monir Kalgoum has also played a part in what has been a patchy campaign for MK.
Perhaps it is that Michael Wales has changed his lucky pants, or Barry Hollyhead has lost his lucky egg?
Whether it is technical or mental problem, Lightning have failed to recapture the magic which helped them climb out of many holes to claim the title last year.
Some credit must go to the EPL’s other leading lights.
Manchester have a killer first line with three players past the 100 point mark.
Slough would probably have run Phoenix close for the title had they paired Doug Sheppard and Adam Calder at the beginning of the season. And Guildford have been helped by the inspired signing of David Longstaff.
Lightning by contrast, lacked a big signing this summer. And, while the majority of MK fans understand we lack the firepower to compete with the league’s biggest spenders, there is still hope Nick Poole will pull a free-scoring rabbit out of the hat over the summer.
And if the Canadian can manage a little magic over the next couple of weeks, we would quite like our (playoff) trophy back too.
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| 12th March 2006 19:00 | ||
5-3 |
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| 12th March 2006 19:00 | ||
4-5 |
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| 12th March 2006 19:00 | ||
1-4 |
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| 12th March 2006 19:00 | ||
4-4 |
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| 11th March 2006 19:00 | ||
2-4 |
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| 11th March 2006 19:00 | ||
| Club | GP | W | L | OL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|
5-8 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
5-1 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
4-1 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
5-2 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
3-7 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
1-1 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
| Club | GP | W | L | OL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|
- Adam Walker
- Alex Birch
- Andy Pierce
- Chris Gent
- Christopher Beal
- Craig Simpson
- Dave Simms
- Elliott Stanley
- Gareth Chalmers
- James Broughton
- James Gordon
- Katy Madgwick
- Luke Catterson
- Mark Briggs
- Mark Duell
- Mat Young
- Patrick Smyth
- Promotion
- Russ Morrell
- Seanna Murdock
- Stephen Dowson
- Stewart Roberts
- Tom Forster
- Vicki Smart
- William Lyon
