Countdown to Trophy Semi-Final – Fortress Worcester

After this weekend’s double-header success in the BBL Championship, the attention of all Worcester Wolves fans will now be switching to the BBL Trophy.  This Friday the Wolves will face Leicester Riders at the University of Worcester in the first leg of the BBL Trophy semi-final, with the return leg taking place the next day in Leicester.

The teams having already faced each other twice this season and the Riders have triumphed on each occasion. However both games took place in the East Midlands and Wolves’ Director of Basketball Paul James believes that Friday’s encounter will be a much different affair, saying: “We have only lost two games at the University all season, against Durham and Surrey, teams that we have since gained our revenge on. Friday will be the first time that Leicester will be coming into our house and they will soon realise that it will be a whole different experience from playing in front of their own supporters.”

Leicester have an even better home record than the Wolves, not having lost at De Montfort Hall in over a year, so James is aware that building a first-leg advantage will be vital, saying: “With all the success that Leicester have been having lately they are packing out their arena. It is a compact venue with low ceilings and spectators virtually dangling their legs on the edge of the court. This intense atmosphere can be intimidating for visiting players and officials. Although I am confident my guys can cope with this, I want to leave nothing to chance so will be looking to go there with a points advantage already in the bag.”

James is calling on the Worcester public to produce a similarly intense welcome for the visitors from Leicester, saying: “We’ve now won six games in a row and are playing at a high level. As well as our usual stalwarts, we have players such as Carlos Fernandez and Kai Williams really stepping up their game and we’ll now have the added bonus of Prezzie-Blue coming back from injury. The team love playing at the University and tell me how much of a boost they get when the crowd get behind them. The fans can be the difference-maker and I want them to show Leicester that we will defend our city to the hilt.”

Supporters are advised to guarantee their admittance to Friday’s contest at the University of Worcester (tip off 7.30pm) by purchasing advance tickets from the Wolves office on 01905 542251.

The Wolves organisation has also announced the re-launch of their club website, where latest features and match reports can be found. The new website address is https://worcesterwolves.org