LANCASHIRE Hawks boss Mike Cockayne has paid special tribute to scoring sensation Adrian Lomonaco saying he would not be out of place in any other side in the land.

The Hawks may be struggling at the wrong end of the Northern and National leagues but the Canadian hot-shot has bagged 23 goals so far this season, proving he is one of the league's form hit-men.

Cockayne said: "Adrian is proving to be one of the bargain buys of the season. He is certainly one of the top forwards in the Northern League and would not look out of place in any other side."

But despite Lomonaco's rich vein of form, the Hawks have not won a game since October 18 and Sunday's 6-6 draw against fellow strugglers Murrayfield ended a run of eight consecutive defeats.

Cockayne added: "It is a problem but we are working on it and trying to perform better over three periods. Our main aim is to try to improve our home form and give the fans something to cheer about. We are trying, but end up losing 7-6 or 6-5 which is not too bad but at the end of the day it is another defeat."

This weekend the Hawks have a chance to experiment on their line-up with two challenge games. On Saturday they travel to Altrincham Aces and on Sunday they help Great Britain Under-20s prepare for the World Championships in Estonia early next year.

Hawks' starlets Tom Burridge and Billy Price are set to be included in the Great Britain side as they attempt to clinch a place in the national squad.

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