WITH thoughts of fleeing the nest dismissed, Blackburn Hawks' player-coach Bobby Haig is sharpening his talons for the challenges ahead.

After a series of disappointing Premier Cup defeats through October, the experienced Scot was seriously considering his future.

The good news, for players and supporters alike, is he has agreed to continue in his leading role.

Crisis talks with the Arena management have seen Haig relinquish his demanding job as duty manager. He has also stood down as the junior ice hockey development director to concentrate fully on the Hawks.

"It has been a really difficult time for me and I have had a lot of hard decisions to make regarding my future at Blackburn," explained Haig.

"I have had talks with the arena management about the way forward and the decision has been made that I will stay at Blackburn in a player-coach capacity only. This will give me more time to concentrate on the team.

"I have been overwhelmed by the messages of support from the Blackburn fans and this has helped me make the decision to stay at Blackburn much easier.

"I would like to thank all the fans and players for their vote of confidence and hopefully we can now go forward and bring success to the club."

Last weekend saw the Hawks crash heavily in a Premier Cup qualifier at Sheffield Scimitars.

Ironically, the Yorkshiremen are next up for Haig and his team in a return match at Blackburn Arena tomorrow.

Several key players were missing last time, but the Hawks are expected to put up stronger opposition in Sunday's 'Roses' battle.

Haig said: "It's an early chance for revenge and I'm looking forward to it."

The match faces off at 6 pm and the Arena doors open for spectators at 5.15 pm.