Cole Long is confident his Newcastle Eagles team-mates can bag a fourth straight win of the season against fierce rivals Caledonia Gladiators this afternoon.

But the men in black will have to dig deep after the club’s in-form Canadian was allowed to head home for personal reasons following Friday’s narrow victory against Surrey.

Long will be absent throughout the international break after Eagles bosses agreed to his request to return to North America.

And the small forward will be a big miss at Caledonia on the back of his season-high 23 points — including six from eight three-pointers — against Lloyd Gardner’s 89ers.

“Gladiators will be hungry for the win, for sure,” said Long, who has recovered from an injury-hit start to his Newcastle career to emerge as a key player for coach Marc Steutel.

“They’ll want to get going after what’s been a tough start to the season for them but our guys will prepare to win as always.

“History is history. The past doesn’t matter once the whistle goes but we want to build on our record and be the best team again.”

Gladiators switched out Gareth Murray last week with a sideways move that saw Lluis Riera step up from his assistant’s role to become interim head coach.

But there was no immediate change in fortunes for the under-performing Scots as they were thrashed by league leaders London on Friday night.

And homecourt fans will be demanding better in today’s PlaySport Arena showdown as the big-spending hosts look to snap a damaging three-game losing streak against the Eagles.

“I can’t put my finger on why we’ve held the advantage over the Gladiators so far this season,” added Long.

“What I do know is that the guys have an incredibly strong mindset and we don’t take anything for granted.

“We approach every game with a view to getting the very best out of the situation and that’s reaped rewards so far this season.”
Long lit up the Vertu Motors Arena on Friday with a series of arcing triples to pierce an otherwise locked-in Surrey defence.

That Newcastle overturned an 11-point deficit was due in large part to the summer signing’s supreme accuracy from downtown.

And Long deserved all the post-match plaudits after a breakout Super League Basketball display underpinned a thrilling 81-77 win.

“I’m happy we won Friday and it’s always a good feeling to come out on the right side of a tight victory,” he added.

“It was further evidence of how this team’s progressing and gives the guys plenty of confidence going into Sunday.

“I feel like I’m getting back to full match fitness and it’s good to be out there making a contribution.

“I had the ankle injury at the start of the season but the good thing about those knocks is that they clear up quite quickly.

“There’s still a process before you get back to feeling like you did before but every day I’m feeling better and better.”
Newcastle trailed after the first quarter against Surrey before back-to-back Long threes fired the hosts in front.

That lead didn’t last long and the 89ers looked set to pick up a prized scalp on the road before Mike Okauru, De’Sean Allen-Aikens and co. stepped up down the stretch.

The Eagles can look forward to a nine-day break from competitive action after today’s cross-border clash.

But assistant coach Gary Stronach will be putting an improving roster through its paces throughout that period while head coach Steutel and fit-again Josh Ward-Hibbert turn their attention to Great Britain’s EuroBasket double header against Greece.