Blackburn Hawks 6 Swindon Chill 5

WHEN the going gets tough you can count on Hawks to come through.

Bobby Haig's battlers showed true grit at the Arena on Saturday just when it looked as though their hopes of landing the English Premier League were about to disintegrate in front of a crowd of just under 1,500.

They trailed visiting Swindon by 0-3 and then 1-5 only to pull themselves up by their bootlaces and record a sensational victory.

Swindon had three goals on the board before James Beale, later to go on to complete a hat trick, got the home show on the road. The visitors then added a couple more and seemed certain to emerge triumphant.

But two goals inside 10 seconds midway through the second period really got the home side going.

They levelled matters with seven minutes to go and then brought the roof off the Arena with the winner from Canadian Lamonte Polet on 56.09.

Swindon out-shot Hawks by 5-14 in the first period only to see the pattern totally reversed in the third, 17-8.

A delighted Bobby Haig said: "The way we rallied in the third period was a credit to the players. The game looked lost, but we showed that there's nothing wrong with the spirit in this squad.

"It keeps us in their fighting although we remain third, but it was also great to see our supporters get behind us like that. The atmosphere was electric, the best generated at the Arena this season for what was probably one of the best games.

"I never like to single out individuals, but it would be wrong to let James Beale's performance go without extra praise. He was outstanding and showed everybody what a good player he is to rightly win the MVP Award."

Period scores: 1-3, 2-2, 3-0. Scoresheet: Bobby Haig 0+3, James Beale 3+0, Brian Smith 0+2, Andrew Dickson 1+2, Lamonte Polet 2+0.

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