Tuesday night in Coventry proved to be a disappointment for us all, as in the end Coventry proved why they are the number one team in the country and won the British Knockout Cup.

We gave our all in the game, but it prove just not enough to get the result we all wanted.

I must thank all the fans that made the trip to the Skydome for your support and you were awesome.

This is the last week of the league and especially busy for us, with trips Belfast and Edinburgh and a home game against Coventry in a very short space of time.

But travelling is easier and legs are less tired when you're putting in the kind of performances we have lately.

Now every game's important as we battle to secure a play-off place.

Two convincing wins home and away against the league champions have left some commentators struggling to explain how our short-benched team has achieved so much after such a turbulent year.

Perhaps it was battling through that turbulence together that's given us the determination and drive to fight for what we think we deserve. That certainly seemed to be the message as I listened to the players on Awards Evening.

We had all found events last October very difficult and frustrating. My own position was almost impossible, caught between someone who would not face up to the problems and players who were suffering the consequences. The fans made it clear then how much they valued the club.

That was a time when I was especially grateful for Steve Thornton's support. He wasn't able to join us for the Awards evening as he, finally, was receiving surgery for his injury on the same day.

Despite the added frustration of a lengthy injury, Steve's positive attitude has been crucial to all we have achieved this season, even though he's had the added frustration of not playing for months. Thanks, Steve.

My thoughts last week were also with the players who had left us. Every guy had had to make his own decision whether to stay or go and we all knew there would be no recriminations.

For those of us who stayed, a great camaraderie has developed. As Greg Owen put it, "Emotionally and physically it's been a struggle. The one thing that has kept us going was playing for each other."

I've always known Basingstoke was a hockey town, Our biggest turn-out so far has been 1,500. I know it's going to be even bigger on Saturday for our last home league fixture against Coventry.

Join the stampede. "All together, through thick and thin"

Ryan Writes appears on the Follow the Herd page in Thursday's Gazette