Richford says players have plenty to be proud of

Hockey

Skipper Tom Richford says Canterbury should be proud of their incredible comeback, despite missing out on automatic safety and facing a return to the Premier Division relegation play-offs. Needing to win at Wimbledon in Sunday’s season finale to secure eighth place and retain a place in next year’s top flight, the city club went down 1-0. Cannock’s 6-3 defeat at home to Surbiton meant they finished bottom, going straight down, however, as last year, second- bottom Canterbury must playoff against three lower division teams for two places in the 2016-17 Premier Division. After starting the season with one point from 11 games, Canterbury finished with 16 from their final seven and Richford said: “To lose felt like a disappointment after (climbing off the bottom) the previous week. They were good and we struggled to create chances. It was as simple as that. It was a fair result and we can have no complaints.” He added: “Of course we wanted to finish eighth and get the job done but we must remember what we have achieved in even finishing ninth. “We have to be happy and proud of how far we have come and to have given ourselves an opportunity to escape relegation once again. “Our focus is now solely on the three play-off games. We don’t feel like the job is done yet.” Richmond, Cardiff and Loughborough Students will provide the opposition in a mini-league with the opening game at Beeston, Nottingham, on April 3 and the final two at the Lee Valley Olympic Park on April 16 and 17. Richford said: “Richmond are ambitious and have good backing and Loughborough are full of England under-21 players but we don’t know too much about Cardiff. “We are quietly confident and of course our experience of going there last year counts for a lot. It helps too that we are in good form – normally the Premier team involved in the play-offs has not been winning games, hence being near the bottom, but we have been in good form, beating some top sides since Christmas. “We are hoping to be able to get everyone available and if we can do that, then we’ll certainly be going there to try and win.”

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