Hockey: Inverleith coach has dossier on Euro rivals

INVERLEITH hockey coach Stuart Neave hopes a little help from their arch-rivals will enable his side to win promotion in Europe.

Inverleith coach Stuart Neave

The Edinburgh side were today set to open their EuroHockey Indoor Club Champions Trophy campaign in Pavlovskii Posad, Russia.

Newly-crowned Scottish champions Inverleith are in Pool A and meet Atletico Clube de Portugal and Royal HC Namur from Belgium on the first day of action before squaring up to Belarus-based HC Minsk tomorrow morning in their final pool game. And coach Neave has travelled armed with information supplied by the club’s Scottish league rivals, Grove Menzieshill, on Belarus club HC Minsk. Neave said: “Grove played Minsk in Prague in November as they built up towards the indoor season.

“Billy McPherson and Chris Anderson have been really helpful in providing imformation about Minsk, who came down from A Division last time and are a strong team. We’ve also picked up information on the other teams but we know this is going to be a tough competition.”

Neave added: “Our first priority is to earn first or second place in our pool and we have to take chances when they come.

“In indoor, there is always a fine line between success and failure and we want to succeed here.”