This is the last chance I have to talk to all of you as player coach. As you know, I hung up my skates after Sunday's game, so, at the moment, I'm Eric Braff, student, worried, like all of you, about the credit crunch and wondering how it will affect my future, wherever that may be.

When I came back to Bison in September, I had never expected to have this responsibility, nor did I think our performances would fall away so badly. It's been a difficult year for all of us. I am sorry for the disappointment and frustration you, as fans, feel, all the more so as last year I was one of the "Bison 10" whom you feted then as "heroes". This year we just weren't good enough and I hold my hands up for my part in that.

The strongest memory that I will take away, however, is the experience of receiving such generous support from the supporters throughout the season. For the first few months, the problems were clear for all to see. Then, once Tomas left and Planet Ice came in, there was a period when it seemed as if we could make up lost ground. After Christmas, however, for reasons which are perhaps not so evident, we fell away badly. Yet never once did I feel a lack of sympathy and understanding for our situation. I think the bond between the players and the fans is what makes this club special and enables us to survive in situations which seem hopeless.

Now the season is over I'm sure there'll be lots of moments when the thought "What if?" will swim into my mind. What if there had been financial stability from the off; if Ryan hadn't felt he needed to leave; if we hadn't lost forwards like Cruikshank, Stewart, Miller and Richardson; defenders like Patrick and Goulet; if Reiter hadn't been injured…..the list is long.

But those were the cards we were dealt and we played the hand as best we could. In those circumstances, the values that have been drilled into me since I started playing hockey of honesty and hard work, in training and on the ice, seemed core to any success we might have.

It has been a privilege to have been part of Basingstoke's hockey community. Thank you for you support, generosity and friendship.

I wish you all health, happiness and success in the future.