Hull Seahawks coach Matty Davies keen to record statement win over former club Leeds Knights

Tonight’s first meeting of the NIHL National campaign between the two has been on the radar of Seahawks’ coach Matty Davies for a long time.

The two met in pre-season – each winning once – but the next 48 hours represents the first competitive action between the two this season. After tonight the two do it all again in Hull.

Last season, Leeds swept the six-game series as they went on to win the league and play-off double, with Hull ending their inaugural campaign rock-bottom.

This time around, Hull are a different beast, their fourth place in the standings testifying to them being the team most likely to break-up the monopoly of the league’s top three enjoyed by Milton Keynes Lightning, Leeds and Peterborough Phantoms, both last season and – so far – this.

Davies readily acknowledges that this weekend will represent his players’ toughest challenge of the year, but one they are capable of rising to.

“I respect Leeds a lot, they are a very good team, they’ve got some of the best players in the league, probably the best top six forwards,” said Davies.

“I don’t fear them though, I believe we can go and play our game and implement what we want to do to try and negate what they are good at.

“I’m actually excited about these two games. I spoke to Aaron Nell about Swindon’s game against Leeds last Sunday and he said that it was just a really good hockey game and so I’m really hoping that ours is going to be the same - a quality game, between two quality teams.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge of it.”

Davies needs no introduction to Knights fans having played there during the organisation’s first-ever season in 2021-22, reunited part way through that campaign with coach Ryan Aldridge, for who he had already played at Swindon.

Aldridge was brought in by Knights’ owner Steve Nell to replace Dave Whistle, and while that first campaign ended on a low note by way of six straight play-odd defeats, he masterminded a league and play-off double the following Spring.

It is the kind of success Davies is hoping to bring to his hometown, but in order to do so he knows he has to get the better of teams such as the Knights.

They have already gone some way to proving they have what it takes with two wins over both Milton Keynes and Peterborough this season. Davies would love to repeat that against Leeds, even better were his players able to achieve that over the course of the next 48 hours.

“We’ve got what we need in our locker room to beat them,” added Davies. “I’m under no illusions, though, it’s going to be hard.

“I’m confident all of our players will turn up because they know they have to because of the pressure of playing Leeds in a big game.

"They shouldn’t really need me to tell them to get up for this kind of game.”​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​