Leeds Knights 2: Middle of the pack status holds appeal for coach Davey Lawrence
THIS weekend is likely to throw up different challenges for Leeds Knights 2 - as they face-off against teams at both ends of the NIHL North One Moralee table.
Looking to bounce back from last weekend’s 5-0 loss at Widnes Wild, the Knights first welcome leaders Solihull Barons to The Castle before hitting the road to face-off against second-bottom Nottingham Lions 24 hours later.
Solihull’s only blemish so far this season is an overtime loss at Hull Jets. They went top of the standings for the first time this season after edging out Blackburn Hawks 6-5 last Saturday, the Lancashire outfit’s first defeat of the 2025-26 season.
“We can push them, maybe even see if we can sneak a couple of points off them,” said Lawrence. “They are the ones that are under pressure, the ones that are expected to win, so it's a free hit for us.”
Lawrence is fully aware of the threat posed by Barons’ forward Niklas Ottosson ahead of Saturday’s encounter in Leeds (7.30pm), the Swedish forward leading the way for the West Midlands’ side with 11 goals and 9 assists in 10 games.
“They've strengthened quite a lot on the defensive side, forward-wise, they're still very similar to last year,” added Lawrence. “I think they've got one or two extra guys in, one of which is making a difference, but the main threat is the usual guy, which is Niklas Ottosson.
“So it's about being aware of when he's out there and making sure we do our job for him because he's their main goal threat - if he's not scoring, that keeps us in that game.”
Of the two fixtures, Nottingham will probably be the priority for head coach Lawrence and his players.
Only three points separate the teams, the Knights having previously enjoyed a 5-4 win over their East Midlands’ rivals back in September.
“That's a game that we do need to win,” insisted Lawrence. “I would like to keep in the chase with that middle-pack where we are now rather than that bottom two.
“If we can separate ourselves from Nottingham with another three points and maybe sneak something off Solihull, then it puts us right in that mid-table pack.”
On the defeat to Widnes, Lawrence said a shortage of bodies contributed to his team’s downfall.
“We were really short on numbers,” he added. “I had to draft in five players from the league below, who did a great job for us.
“It was mainly due to the first-team having injuries, so we had guys away with them and then our Under-19 National League team had a game as well. So we had quite a few bodies missing - it was always going to be a difficult challenge.”