Words from the head coach Matt Flynn

Welcome back to Norton Sports Park, the home of the Sheffield Giants. Despite it only being three weeks since Homecoming, it feels like an absolute age to me because of how much happened within a short space of time before then with the four games in a row.

To reflect on Homecoming briefly though –wow, what a day. From the U19s putting on a show with Wigan, who kindly filled in at the last moment after the scheduled opposition forfeited, to the kids playing Flag as betweengame entertainment, to the absolute cacophony of noise generated in the adult game, to the totally unexpected ice cream van arriving at half time! It was a joy to see the day come together as planned and I think it’s safe to say that it will become an annual fixture. Bring on Homecoming 2!

The adult team game itself though has to be noted as the icing on the cake, of course. Roared on by you noisy bunch we really lifted our game and gained revenge for the horrible reverse fixture. It was great to put those ghosts away, enjoy football, and put some points on the board. To win the rematch with Touchdowns scored on the ground, in the air, and with the defence holding to zero points, it really couldn’t have gone any better.

It’s been an odd couple of weeks since as we have said goodbye to many of our university players, as expected, and have finally had some time to breathe at training to work on fundamentals and bettering ourselves. We’ve also done some great work in the community again (more on that later) which has been great to see. Now though, of course, our attention turns to Chester.

For everything we did against Birmingham, we hope to do again today. Our Saturday night away game remains a blemish on our season and it was not reflective of who we are as a football team, or who we are as people. Today we intend to exercise those demons and prove that that night was the exception that proves the rule, and The Romans will see what we’re really made of. Please make some noise, cheer us on, and we’ll pay you back with a fight you can be proud of.