Paisley Pirates struck late to sink Dundee Tigers and pick up a morale-boosting win ahead of their final league clash before the play-offs.
The Renfrewshire club were staring down the barrel of a defeat on Sunday, heading into the last three minutes still a goal down.
But quick-fire strikes from Callum Henderson and Zak Kenneth ensured the club returned to Paisley with both points.
Player-coach Adam Walker believes the late response shows the club can never be written off as they continue to gear up for the end of season play-offs.
Walker said: “It was a great win that we battled hard for.
“We were a goal down with just a few minutes to go and the guys responded superbly.
“It was really satisfying from a coaching point of view.
“We asked the players to make a tactical switch and they adapted to it very well and it paid off.
“It’s pleasing for the players because they’ve seen what they’ve been asked to do has worked.
“That breeds confidence and it shows we can never be counted out from a response, even that late in the game.”
Pirates travel to league winners Kirkcaldy Kestrels this weekend in their final match before the play-off’s.
The Paisley club are still the reigning play-off champions having won it last time out before the coronavirus pandemic struck.
Walker insists the club are determined to hang on to their crown, and feels a win over the Kestrels this Sunday would stand them in great stead against one of their biggest rivals for the crown.
Walker said: “As soon as we lost to the Comets a couple of weeks ago, we knew the league title was out of reach.
“Our focus has totally switched to the play-offs and we’ve effectively been back in pre-season again, training hard and then playing games that haven’t meant a great deal competitively.
“That’s allowed us to work on ironing out some things to build towards the play-offs.
“The Kestrels won the league last weekend, so we don’t really know how they’re going to approach this game.
“We’ve had a few looks at them already this season and hopefully we can pick out a few more things to target should we come up against them in the play-offs.
“If we’re going to win the play-offs, we’re more than likely going to have to go through the Kestrels at some point.”
Walker added: “The confidence is building within the group.
“The resources we have aren’t as strong as some of the other contenders, so for us to win we have to bring our A game every single match.
“Last time we won it through hard work and getting the small details right.
“A lot of time has passed since the last play-offs, but we’re still desperate to get our hands back on that trophy.”
