Telford Tigers forward Blaho Novak has targeted this weekend’s games against Bracknell Bees and Basingstoke Bison as the first steps towards a late bid for the EPL title.
Novak has been a revelation since the start of December, scoring four goals during a run that saw Tigers win seven successive games.
That string of wins came to an end last week with defeats to Guildford Flames and Sheffield Steeldogs, but Novak is confident his side can make a winning return at home this weekend.
He said: “We have got to get back to winning games, which is why we’re working hard all week to prepare for a tough weekend. We need to make sure we win those games.
“The team knows that and the guys in the changing room are preparing to go back and get a winning streak going.
“The target is to win the league. It is tough because Basingstoke are not losing any points, so we need to make sure we win games against them.
“Basically every match is big for us, but it is important to beat teams like Basingtoke and Peterborough, so they drop points. We know all games against teams above us and below us are a must two points.”
Novak’s goals over the festive period were integral to Telford’s run of success, although he refuses to full credit for that increased win rate.
He added: “There is no secret, but we have been playing well as a team. I’ve been working hard all season, but it can come down to a bit of luck.
“The whole team has been helping me to do that. If I get a good pass off a teammate, then I can score a good goal.”
Telford now occupy sixth place in the EPL standings, albeit with at least one game in hand over many of those teams above them.
That position is in stark contrast to last season, when they dominated proceedings and won the league title four weeks early.
Novak added: “The league is a lot tougher this year and all the teams have really good systems. Most teams, especially against us, they just trap.
“The position in the table is not great, but there’s still plenty of games left and if we make sure we win most of them, we should be up there.”
(Image permission: Steve Brodie)
