There've been quite a few unexpected twists in our season so far, but I must say I never expected to be sitting here, after a long road-trip to Hull on Sunday and a busy day at the University, writing for the first time as Player Coach of the Bison.

In fact, if you'd talked to me back home a few months ago I might have told you that I didn't know whether I was going to play pro hockey again.

Although last season had been difficult, I had been given the honour of being selected as Basingstoke's Sports Personality of the Year. The players had become a very tight unit and I had great memories of the support the fans gave us. Hockey Night in Basingstoke is not something you can easily forget, wherever you have played.

But my intention had been to find a suitable position in the world of finance, something that has always been my goal. I found the credit crunch was already biting and opportunities were decreasing as businesses and budgets contracted.

I'd visited Winchester before going back home and been really impressed by what was on offer. I'd been tracked all summer and finally decided the right move for me was to come back, play for another season and complete my Masters.

So I found my self in the locker room last Saturday, after a couple of days coaching, feeling more nervous than I'd felt for a long time. It's a privilege and a big responsibility to take on the role but I'm confident we can make progress.

I think we've got a good squad of players. Hockey, of course, is as much a mental challenge as a physical one. To get confidence flowing again, and to win in front of our own fans, we reverted to very basic systems that we all felt at ease with.

That seemed to work and we snapped that horrible streak. And that was a great feeling. Don't forget that I'm the guy who came to Basingstoke not having scored for 150 games; I know the feeling.