BLACKBURN Hawks' James Neil was 'gutted' after his side came back from 6-3 down to then lose 7-6 against Sutton Sting in the dying seconds of Sunday's match.

Neil was certain the Hawks would've taken the two points if they had played with a full squad.

The Hawks will now look to bounce back today as they face Murrayfield Racers in the cup and travel to Whitley Warriors tomorrow as they return to league action.

The Hawks vice captain reflected on his side's displays at the weekend.

"It was disappointing, we brought it back level after being 6-3 down with around two minutes to play.

"What was hard to take was one of our ex players, Kieron Brown, scored the winning goal for Sutton with just 25 seconds to play.

"We went in to that game short on bodies, I'm certain we would've won with a full squad out.

"It's hard to play when you're constantly being put back on the ice, you don't get enough of a rest when you've been subbed off."

Neil was proud of how the side staged a comeback before losing the tie in the dying seconds.

"We did well to bring it back to 6-6, we wanted to win that game but it just wasn't to be unfortunately."

The Hawks are in cup action today, Neil see's this as a chance for them to relax and just go out and enjoy the game.

"That's the plan - we aren't doing well in the cup so it's a good chance for us to play without any pressure.

"We can go out there and juts enjoy ourselves. It's a chance to try and build a bit of momentum before we play in the league on Sunday."

Blackburn travel to Whitley side who are currently sixth in the league - five points above the Hawks but having played six more games.

"They're around the same level as us, these sort of games are about making it count when you're the home team.

"I've never played at Whitley and had an easy game. The rink is small and dark, it's horrible to be honest.

"I don't know how many players we'll have going in to this game, I know we've got at least three illnesses.

"Having a bigger squad at the game is always an advantage, it gives you the chance to roll your subs off frequently and give your guys a rest.

"We'll just have to see how they are on the day and whether or not they can play," added Neil.